Potatoes Like Guns

Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. And potatoes don’t make people fat, too much fried food makes people fat.

I am astounded when I hear serious talk on the federal level of banning potatoes from the school lunch program. Potatoes are, remember, a vegetable. A vegetable– as in plant food. As in containing nutrients. A medium potato has more potassium than a banana (more fiber, too), and a nice chunk of vitamin C.

But make potatoes into fries, and their inherent nutritional value is obscured by excess calories, fat and sodium.

Here’s what the change looks like:

One Medium One Medium Order McDonald’s

Baked Potato (with skin) French fries (4.1 oz)

Calories 160…………………………………………… 380

Fiber 4 g………………………………………………5 g

Fat 0 g……………………………………………19 g

Sodium 12 mg………………………………………270 mg

Vitamin C 22 mg………………………………………….4 mg

Potassium 900 mg………………………………………655 mg

Potatoes are inexpensive, accessible, inherently nutritious and well-liked, even when they’re not fried. They’re versatile: a culinary blank slate that can be crisp, creamy, soft, crunchy, hearty or light. It’s all a matter of preparation—whether in school lunches or at home.

For a slew of great healthful potato recipes, here is a book Ebo (aka, my husband, David Bonom) developed for the Washington State Potato Commission.* One of my favorites, by the way, is Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Fennel and Onion. But I tasted all of them, and I can promise you they’re good.

The recipe below is my go-to for making roast potatoes. The key to getting a nice crisp crust and creamy interior is to give the potatoes room on the pan: place them in a single, uncrowded layer in a pan with low sides and they will crisp rather than steam.

* The fact that Ebo was paid by the potato people has no influence on my writing here: he developed and was paid for these recipes long before I heard about the potential banning of potatoes from school lunches.