By Kimble McSweeney

Vegetable Variations for Ovations

There is no doubt that each family has a trove of cherished recipes they dust off and bring to life for special occasions each year! What would the holidays be without them? We at the Manor House have been enjoying favorite holiday dishes for many years and will doubtless continue to do so for many more! I would like to share of few of these very simple ideas, and perhaps you will take one or two on as a new traditional way of preparing your side dishes or they may offer you some alternative ideas to try.

Potatoes
One of the most basic items served at any holiday meal is the potato! And why not?  The potato has been a staple item on banquet tables for centuries and with good reason.  The variations are virtually limitless. Most families enjoy the basic mashed potatoes, where the potatoes are boiled until tender and then either mashed by hand or whipped with an electric mixer, adding the traditional butter and cream to make them fluffy! 

A small variation on this could be to add anywhere from 10 to 15 peeled garlic cloves to the potatoes as they boil. Drain as normal, and then mash or whip the potatoes as usual including the garlic cloves. I add about 15 cloves of garlic to every 5 pounds of potatoes I cook.  Simply adjust accordingly to the amount you plan to prepare. I think you will find this simple addition will bring a new dimension to your mashed potatoes!

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This Spud’s For You!!

Now let’s be honest! When you think of a picnic or a backyard barbecue or a wedding shower buffet or your favorite side dish when sitting down to a homemade deli sandwich, who doesn’t think of potato salad?! It’s an absolute MUST for all of those events… and then some!! 

Our friend, Mr. Potato, has been around for a very long time. In fact, the oldest known cultivation of the potato plants occurred in Chile, where the potato crop was planted and harvested long before the Spanish ever arrived. Subsequently, the potato was introduced to Europe in 1536 and not surprisingly taken by European mariners to territories and ports throughout the world. Thousands of varieties persist in the Andes, where over 100 varieties might be found in a single valley region.

Once established in Europe, the potato soon became an important food staple and field crop. However, lack of genetic diversity, due to the fact that very few varieties were initially introduced, left the crop vulnerable to disease. In 1845, a fungal disease spread rapidly through the poorer communities of western Ireland, resulting in the Great Irish Famine.

The potato is also strongly associated with Idaho, Maine, Washington, North Dakota, Prince Edward Island, Ireland, Jersey and Russia because of its large role in the agricultural economy and history of these regions. But in recent decades, the greatest expansion of potato has been in Asia, where as of 2007 approximately eighty percent of the world potato crop is grown. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, China has become the world's largest potato producer, followed by India.

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