How to boil potatoes perfectly every time — and some great potato recipes for National Potato Day

Pick up some potatoes today: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

It's National Potato Day — around here they can be spuds, potatoes, poppys or pops but never 'taters'.

Whatever you want to call them, you need to get them cooked just right.

It's been a secret shame of mine that my spud cooking skills have been a bit hit and miss. Meringues, scones, casseroles, no bother. But sometimes the potatoes I cook have been boiled to a watery, grey gruel, and other times they have odd lumpy bits inside.

No more.  A quick confession of my cooking failure and a colleague put me right.

My effort to be more economical and popping the pops into a pot of boiling water has been my downfall. Apparently, root vegetables start off in cold water. And the reason is that root veg are very dense so if they go into boiling water their outsides will cook quickly but they will be still raw in the middle. Or if you make sure the middles are cooked properly the outsides will be mushy.

Starting them off in cold water is the key to getting them just right: this brings the temperature up slowly and evenly all the way through so they cook perfectly.

Such a simple solution and right in time for winter when many of us turn to potatoes as comfort food. And they are truly suited to getting warmed up in winter.

Irish Examiner columnist, Darina Allen, has some great potato recipes here — and more at the end of this article:

Potatoes may have picked up an unfair reputation as heavy or carb-laden. However, Bord Bia is keen to point out that they are also excellent 'fuel' for athletes and generally active people. 

GAA Stars, Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick and Mayo’s Sarah Rowe team up with Bord Bia to celebrate National Potato Day and to promote potatoes as fuel for optimum sports performance.

Bord Bia has teamed up with GAA stars — Mayo’s Sarah Rowe and Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick — to promote potatoes as fuel for optimum sports performance. 

Dietitian Orla Walsh has worked with Irish athletes in the lead-up to the Rio Olympics and Paralympics in her role as Performance Nutritionist with Athletics Ireland.

Orla believes that potatoes are an excellent natural ingredient for a nutritionally complete diet to fuel active lifestyles and she highlights 10 key ways they contribute to sports performance.

Orla Walsh’s 10 Reasons to Fuel with Potatoes for Sport:

1) Sports Performance: “Potatoes are an ideal source of carbohydrate which is the fuel we run on. They are incredibly important for sports performance and in contributing to the recovery of muscle function.”

2) Quick digestion: “As they are naturally low fat and high in carbohydrate, potatoes are beneficial for pre-match/training as they can be digested quickly and converted into fuel for the body.”

3) Hydration: “The fluids we drink help keep us hydrated, but so does the water within our food. As potatoes are pulled straight from the soil they naturally contain a lot of water. For example, a boiled new potato is 82% water!”

4) Muscle and nerve function: “Potatoes are a great source of potassium which plays a central role in muscle and nerve function. Getting the right balance is a key focus in sports nutrition.”

5) Salt-free: “Lots of Irish people eat too much sodium through salt. So it’s helpful that potatoes are naturally salt-free. When potatoes contain salt it is because we have added it! Instead, teaching athletes to use some tasty, nutritious herbs and spices instead of salt is beneficial.”

6) Protein: “Protein contributes to the growth and maintenance of muscle mass as well as keeping our bones healthy. About 10% of the calories of potatoes come from protein.”

7) Calorie intake - fresh potatoes are fat-free: “You can tailor how to enjoy potatoes in response to your current energy needs. Depending on the type of potato, 2 medium potatoes provide just 160 to 185 calories. The quantity and quality of the fat added to the potato is left up to the athlete.”

8) Brain function: “Carbohydrates are the main fuel for our brain function which helps to keep movements coordinated, the mind focussed and speed and accuracy of thoughts sharp.”

9) Versatility: “What makes potatoes an ideal carbohydrate source for sport is that they are also incredibly versatile. They can be eaten in so many different ways, keeping the athlete interested!”

10) Potatoes are delicious! “When it comes to adequate fuelling, it’s vital that the fuel source is tasty! Potatoes are a delicious eaten in so many different ways!”

And while you're tucking into that plate of fluffy mashed potato or chunks of spud in a curry, you can also be happy that you're doing your bit for your country...if you make sure you are using Irish potatoes.

IFA president, Tim Cullinan, is calling on consumers, retailers and the foodservice sector to support Irish potato growers.He said the Irish potato industry is a critical indigenous sector worth €80m at the farm gate. Four hundred growers' plant more than 8,000 hectares annually. Mr Cullinan urged consumers and the foodservice sector to always choose Irish potatoes instead of imported produce: "The foodservice sector, in particular, must check the origin of the potatoes it uses. Importation of potatoes undermines the Irish market. By choosing Irish; you are supporting vital jobs in the rural economy".

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