Low-carbers and GI-sensitive eaters tend to avoid potatoes, but I think they are otherwise pretty healthy and flexible. People also probably get more potato than any other vegetable, thanks to fast food and restaurant chains serving french fries and hashbrowns with every single meal.
I like mine baked with a little miso gravy, or with ranch dressing on it.
i can personally say mashed potatoes did have a big thing to do with my weight...i love them and could eat nothing but mashed potatoes for a meal and eat them every single day.
I love baked potatoes. And mashed, but DH and I have learned to like them with almost no butter at all. (Admittedly, I add a good amount of salt, but with chronic low blood pressure, I'll go ahead and take that liberty)
I also have baked potatoes several times a week and find them to be the perfect lunch food. I small russet potato, 3 oz grilled chicken, 2 tbs lowfat sour cream, 1 tbs BBQ sauce, 2 cups broccoli, and some sliced green onion. Amazingly filling, and delicious!
With my background (Polish) cutting out potatoes is like blasphemy! However, traditionally we just boil, salt, toss with some chopped dill and serve. Not too bad.
I do love me some traditional American-style mashies, but sans gravy, I've never been able to get into that. I did discover a way to health that up though. Has anyone tried mashing Yukon Gold potatoes plain - no milk or butter? I only make mashies that way. I find that the Yukon Gold potatoes themselves have a high enough water content, creamy texture, and buttery flavor without adding any additional ingredients.
I love potatoes of all kinds. When I was on a low-carbohydrate diet, I got it stuck in my head that potatoes were the anti-christ. Now that I have learned I can't do low-carbohydrate (blood sugar issues) I let myself have a potato every now and again...but to me ...nothing beats a sweet-potato sprinkled with just cinnamon....
I just discovered the alexia brand potatos (my nutritionist actually recommended them as a possible carb choice) They are great! they are all natural and made with olive oil and spices, and come in many different versions. *yum* I have them with a veggie burger when I need a burger and fries fix!
I enjoy baked potatos, but w/ the diet I am following I can't have any carbs except from my lite wheat bread. But when I did eat potatos I did notice that I was a little more bloated the next day in my stomach. I still enjoy them tho, lol.
I have no problems with a plain old white potato, but if I'm having potatoes as a side dish, I'd MUCH rather have a baked sweet potato which I find wonderfully sweet!
Potatoes are great. They're good for you. But with me, one potato makes me ravenous and does absolutely nothing for my appetite and s completely counter productive to my weightloss and maintenance. No stigma, no anti-christ labels, just my personal experience with the little buggers.
I love Yukon Gold Potatoes, too. The grocery store where I shop sells little tiny baby Yukon Gold Potatoes in 24 ounce bags.
Sometimes we eath them just boiled, or boiled and tossed with a little bit of oil, salt and herbs, but my huband loves them cooked this way:
Boil them until the are almost cooked, but are still slightly hard and not mushy. Slightly smash them flat with a fork, and put them on a cookies sheet lightly brushed with oil, so the potatoes won't stick. Brush the potatoes with a mix of a tiny bit of butter, olive oil, garlic powder and salt. If I make the whole bag, 1/2 tablespoon of butter mixed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil is enough for this recipe, so it's not adding too many calories. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes. They come out great - like little crunchy potato pancakes almost. Theres a thread on this board about potatoes cooked this way that has a similar recipe, but I can't find it. Yesterday I made them, and after they where got nice and crispy, I took them out of the oven and topped them with 2 ounces of finely grated cheddar cheese mixed with chopped chives and a couple slices of chopped crisp bacon. I popped them back in the over for 5 more minutes, then served them as a main dish with some low fat sour cream and a green vegetable as a side dish. Hubby says they tasted just like Friday's restaurant's potato skins appetizer, and they didn't add up to an unreasonable amount of calories for dinner. So Yummy! Amazing how far just of little bit of fattening stuff can go toward making you feel "undeprived" as long as you keep track of the calories.
Last edited by Annie Pele; 01-27-2009 at 12:13 PM.
