HARVEST

One-Pan Wonder Spuds

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I’d add that motherhood is the mother of invention. For easy, fast, nutritional, comforting, all-compatible side dishes, and for pennies apiece? Spuds are a no-brainer. They keep well in the fridge as leftovers, then sliced in half and repurposed into a hearty pantry-hash topped with a glistening, poached egg, enough to warm a chilly morning – within a bowl on your lap.

Ingredients

1 small bag rainbow (or any variety) of small potatoes *

1 onion, peeled and whole

1 rounded teaspoon steak seasoning

1 rounded teaspoon onion powder

2-3 lg cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil (grapeseed and other healthy, hi-heat yielding oils like coconut work the same)

1-2 tablespoons butter (optional) if opt-out, double the oil

1 teaspoon fresh and/or dried herbs to finish

Salt & pepper to taste

3-4 cups water or broth

LINK TO EASY CONVERSION CHART

*Healthy Hint:

Method 4 Serving

1. Put potatoes and onion – all whole – into a medium pan on mediumhigh heat, with water or broth enough to cover them by no more than two inches.

2. Bring to a low boil. Continue boiling for 15 minutes, or until JUST fork-tender. There should be little water left, if any. Drain.

3. Return pan of potatoes to stove, reduce to medium heat.

4. Melt butter and oil together in the center of the pan, and roll the potatoes around in it. They’re so happy!

5. Add spices and herbs: reserving half for the last minute.

6. Leave the seasoned spuds alone for 5 minutes; let them cook fully on one side until they start to brown and shrivel a bit. Only then, turn/ roll around and give them another 5-7 minutes or until they’re soft and puffy on the inside and slightly dimpled, chewy and crunchy on the outside. The timing will vary, but it’s tough to kill these guys. They’re happy!

7. Toss in the remaining herbs/spices.

8. Serve right out of the pan as perfect, rustic side dish with any meal. Cleanup is a snap, too.

Recipe by Pat Friedman

Small potatoes are harvested before they are mature; usually at about an inch in diameter. Some varieties, called Creamers, are popular for being so tasty, versatile and yep—low in calories. Fiber, Vitamin C, “good carbs” and nutrients are found in these misunderstood little tubers.

Maine Potato Picking Childhood

My name is Roxane Davis, and one of my fondest memories as a child growing up in a small Aroostook County town was the yearly potato harvest.

All of the neighborhood children looked forward to this event, and as the time drew closer would proudly announce who they were picking for, and how much they would earn per barrel picked. Participating in the harvest was, of course, optional, but most of us were happy to earn our own money and made huge plans about all the things we were going to buy with our earnings. Not to mention, we’d earn at least three whole weeks off from school!

As a young child, I loved the idea of earning a whole .20 per each barrel I filled. Times were certainly different and the cost of goods a were whole lot cheaper than they are today! Every year we would start at a higher rate, and by the time I finished my yearly potato picking we were earning about .50 per barrel. My mother was our ‘banker’ and kept track of all of our earnings. She also went through all of our clothes while we were out picking and made lists of the items we needed. At the end of the harvest, we would use our money to purchase those items, plus one ‘toy’ of our choice, then the rest went into our respective bank accounts to earn interest.

Our mother would wake us, have a hot breakfast on the table, pack our lunch boxes, and have us out the door at 5:00 am every morning. I remember the radio would be tuned to the Potato Pickers’ Special and mom would listen for any cancellations or delays.

So, what was so fun about getting up at 4:00 in the morning, dressing in old work clothes, and standing outside in the cold early morning just as the sun was peeking over the horizon, to wait for the ‘picker truck’ to pick us up? NOTHING!

It was cold, especially in the early mornings. By dinner time it was usually warmer, but some days even then it would be cold. The best way to keep warm would be to work fast. All of us were really good pickers, and had a great work ethic. The worst of us (usually me!) would pick at least 45-50 barrels, while the best of us (my brother) would pick 100+ barrels each day.

Just knowing that at the end of t hat six-day workweek we would have our very own paycheck … thrilling! It made it totally worth it. In those days the farmer’s wife actually drove around to pick us up, and dropped us off again at the end of the day. We rode in the back of a pickup with a wooden home-made cover for shelter. Boards lining the three inside edges were placed for sitting. We just crawled over the tailgate to get in. The laughing, joking, and camaraderie that happened in the back of that pickup was priceless! We were all in this together, and we all had high hopes and aspirations.

The work itself was grueling. The farmer would supply you with your basket to use for the season on the first day. It was yours for the duration. You kept it with you and brought it home every night. The baskets would all be piled on the ground on the first day and each picker could choose whichever basket he or she wanted. All of us kids would try to get the biggest one we could, of course. (Mine is way bigger than yours!) Then it was off to the field to your ‘section’ to await the digger. -Continued…