Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Potato Skins and Sweet Potato Fries

The World's Healthiest Food website touts the potato's benefits: "...very good source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. Potatoes also contain a variety of phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity. Among these important health-promoting compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, and caffeic acid, as well as unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals." Much of these benefits can be found just under the skin!

Wash and cut the ends off baking potatoes.
Brush them with butter.
Bake at 350 for an hour.
Sliced them the long way, scoop out the flesh, brush with butter inside and out, and bake again for 30 minutes.

I sprinkled some raw cheddar on them after they came out of the oven. Delicious! You can add bacon, creme fraiche, scallions-or just eat plain!

Sweet Potato Fries


The sweet potato is the best concentrated source of beta carotene. In order for beta carotene to be converted into vitamin A, it needs the presence of bile salts, which are stimulated by the fats in butter, cream, and egg yolks, so don't feel guilty about dousing these babies in butter or dipping them in creme fraiche. The sweet potato also contains iron, potassium, niacin, vitamin C, fiber, and Vitamin B6!

Peel potatoes. Slice either the long or short way, depending on what you prefer.

I like to line a baking sheet with tinfoil for easy clean-up. Preheat oven to 350.

Arrange potatoes on the baking sheet and brush with melted butter and sea salt.

Bake about 45 minutes. You may need to turn once during cooking.

2 comments:

  1. Cut and??? what? serve? bake another 20 mins?

    ReplyDelete
  2. So strange. I have no idea what the "cut and" is for. No cut. Just bake and serve. =)

    ReplyDelete