Week Five: I wish our kids would eat potatoes
Turns out, the farmer who sold me on how much we were going to looooove our potatoes has never prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner for two toddlers. I even consider ours to be relatively easy eaters. But they are going lukewarm on the potatoes, way ahead of schedule. I’ve tried hiding them under peas (a real toddler special—when is the pea farmer coming ‘round?), spiffing them up with dried cranberries and walnuts, smashing them into puree and even frying them in the shape of Mickey Mouse. But after a few reluctant bites, the gig is up and Mama and Papa are left eating lots and lots of leftover potato dishes.
Nonetheless, in the hope that the members of your household have a higher appreciation for the tuber, this week is dedicated to the potato in its most endearing forms. Lest you get the wrong idea, allow me to reassure you that all of these recipes are perfectly edible and delicious. Don’t be deterred by the palate of the under 3’s when deciding what to make for dinner, or you’ll end up eating noodles for weeks on end while your potato surplus rots away. Believe me, we’ve been there.
1) What’s that hiding under the peas and cheese? (Potato, Leek and Cheese Bake)
2) Mickey Mouse Potato pancakes!
3) Who doesn’t like Mashed Potatoes?
4) Potato salad Surprise, or I’ll just pick out the cranberries and you eat the rest Mama.
Potato, Leek and Cheese Bake
In a eureka moment of parental lucidity I decided to adjust the original recipe to include peas and bacon. Peas are the little green wonders that in the eyes of a toddler transform any offense into an acceptable meal. (Bacon does the same for adults.) This is not to say that under the spell of the pea a toddler will eat the other nutritious food on their plate as well but at least some small morcels of potato and cheese will stick to the peas and end up in said toddler’s mouth without too much protest. You can plan to finish the rest of the picked-through pea-free dish yourself.
The recipe is from the Baby-led Weaning cookbook, specializing in recipes that look and taste great but go down about as well with toddlers as afternoon naptime.
Potatoes, 1 lb. (450 g)
Leek, 1
Oil or butter, for frying
Butter, 2 Tbsp. (25 g)
Flour, 2 Tbsp. (25 g)
Milk, 1-¼ cup (250 ml)
Peas, as many as you need to hide the potatoes
Bacon or diced ham
Cheese, grated, ⅓ – ½ cup (75-100 g)
- Slice the potatoes into fairly large slices. Boil until done.
- Heat the oil or butter and gently fry the sliced leek.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Melt the 2 Tbsp of butter in a small saucepan. Add in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Whisk vigorously until all lumps are gone. Return pan to heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. *Let me be straight with you here. If this step gives you cold chills, I assure you that béchamel sauce does not deserve the bad rap it has gained over the years. It’s required to include the directions to “stir/whisk/mix constantly” as many times as possible when writing about béchamel. I’ve wiped many a nose and broken up many a brawl while making béchamel. A wayward hand will not ruin your meal.
- Remove your sauce from heat and stir in most of the cheese.
- Place the sliced, cooked potatoes on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Top with the leek, the peas and the bacon or ham.
- Pour the sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden.
- Serve to toddler.
Potato, Leek and Cheese Bake
Ingredients
- Potatoes 1 lb. (450 g)
- Leek 1
- Oil or butter for frying
- Butter 2 Tbsp. (25 g)
- Flour 2 Tbsp. (25 g)
- Milk 1-¼ cup (250 ml)
- Peas as many as you need to hide the potatoes
- Bacon or diced ham
- Cheese grated, ⅓ – ½ cup (75-100 g)
Instructions
- Slice the potatoes into fairly large slices. Boil until done.
- Heat the oil or butter and gently fry the sliced leek.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Melt the 2 Tbsp of butter in a small saucepan. Add in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in milk. Whisk vigorously until all lumps are gone. Return pan to heat and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened.
- Remove your sauce from heat and stir in most of the cheese.
- Place the sliced, cooked potatoes on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Top with the leek, the peas and the bacon or ham.
- Pour the sauce on top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden.
Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes)
We’re lucky that for the time being, Franziska’s only reference point for Mickey Mouse is the shape of pancakes she was served in American diners during our last trip to the U.S. That is not to understate the impression that those pancakes made. Mention the words Mickey Mouse and she’s sure to start discussing maple syrup. I was pretty certain then, that these potato pancakes in the shape of Disney’s most prolific icon would vanish. Wrong. She made it through the first one but then started to get suspicious about the true contents of her Mickey Mouse. A spud-filled imposter! Such a disappointment because these are really very tasty. And extremely versatile. You can eat them with syrup or applesauce as breakfast or a snack, but they are in fact intended to be lunch or dinner fare, served for example with an herbed sour cream or smoked salmon…
Another German classic from the illustrious Dr. Oetker’s Schulkochbuch.
Potatoes, 2 lbs. (1 kg)
Onion, 1
Eggs, 3
Salt, 1 tsp
Flour, 1/3 cup (40 g) or a mix 50-50 of oats and flour, supposedly rendering a crispier result
Oil, for frying (sunflower oil, coconut oil,…), about ½ cup (100 ml)
- Peel, wash and dry potatoes. Peel onion.
- Finely grate potatoes and onion. (This sounds so easy. About halfway through the grating I decided pushing tubers through tiny holes must be my penance for handing our entire monthly food budget to that farmer from Normandy. Then it came time to grate the onion…)
- Mix together the egg, salt and flour. Add to the potatoes and onion.
- Heat the frying oil. Begin to fry the mixture by the ¼ cup in shapes of favorite story or film characters. Be as true to life as possible. Flatten in the pan. Fry 6-8 minutes until golden brown on both sides.
- Place cooked pancakes on paper towel to absorb extra oil.
- Serve immediately or keep warm.
Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes)
Ingredients
- Potatoes 2 lbs. (1 kg)
- Onion 1
- Eggs 3
- Salt 1 tsp
- Flour 1/3 cup (40 g) or a mix 50-50 of oats and flour, supposedly rendering a crispier result
- Oil for frying (sunflower oil, coconut oil,…), about ½ cup (100 ml)
Instructions
- Peel, wash and dry potatoes. Peel onion.
- Finely grate potatoes and onion.
- Mix together the egg, salt and flour. Add to the potatoes and onion.
- Heat the frying oil. Begin to fry the mixture by the ¼ cup in shapes of favorite story or film characters. Be as true to life as possible. Flatten in the pan. Fry 6-8 minutes until golden brown on both sides.
- Place cooked pancakes on paper towel to absorb extra oil.
- Serve immediately or keep warm.
Mashed potatoes
Each day I ask Franziska what she ate in the cafeteria at her kindergarten. This is France so I don’t even have to exaggerate here about the cafeteria menu. The menu is determined nationwide from the nursery through to the nursing home. The only variation, I understand, is the consistency of the dishes adjusted by tooth count. And the menu, always 3 courses, includes things like bulgur pilaf, lamb sauté in mushroom sauce, fish filet in cream and herbs, plates that I wouldn’t even know how to make at home. Nearly every day there is a different cheese and, of course, baguette. In short, it’s good food. And Franziska gives the impression that she eats pretty much all of it. Including the mashed potatoes.
An important note : the fact that your children will eat without complaint the same food prepared by strangers, that they need to be coaxed and bribed into so much as tasting at home, is not a commentary on your cooking. On your parenting, yes. But on your cooking, no.
This recipe doesn’t really have a provenance. Everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes, right? Not so fast… what I realized after making a batch is that I had spent years skimping on the added liquid. Be generous and bold. No low-fat substitutes.
Potatoes, 2 lbs (1 kg)
Salt
Butter, 4 Tbsp. (50 g)
Milk, about 1 cup (250 ml)
Nutmeg, recommended by Dr. Oetker
- Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Place in pan.
- Cover with cold water. Add salt.
- Bring to a boil. Cook until pierced through easily with a fork.
- Drain water.
- Add the butter. Begin to mash the potatoes.
- Add in the milk a bit at a time. Keep mashing and keep adding until you have a dreamy bowl of smooth, moist mashed potatoes ready to be thrown across the table, smeared onto hair and ground into the floor.
- (Season with nutmeg and salt to taste.)
Mashed potatoes
Ingredients
- Potatoes 2 lbs (1 kg)
- Salt
- Butter 4 Tbsp. (50 g)
- Milk about 1 cup (250 ml)
- Nutmeg
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Place in pan.
- Cover with cold water. Add salt.Bring to a boil. Cook until pierced through easily with a fork.
- Drain water.
- Add the butter. Begin to mash the potatoes.
- Add in the milk a bit at a time. Keep mashing and keep adding until you have a dreamy bowl of smooth, moist mashed potatoes.
- Season with nutmeg and salt to taste.
Improvisation salad
This is my favorite lunchtime dish when I happen to have a few already cooked potatoes lying around. The idea is simple, take whatever else you have in your refrigerator and/or pantry that sounds like it might go together with some cold diced potatoes, mix it up and pour a dressing on top. My dressing du jour is a simple mustard vinaigrette. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mustard in a ratio of roughly 10:1:1.
For about 4 cut-up cooked potatoes, my favorite additions include :
Hard-boiled eggs
Avocado
Tuna or salmon, canned
Green beans, steamed and cooled
Apple, thinly sliced
Pickles, sliced
Sunflower seeds
Dried cranberries
Walnuts or pecans
Mix everything together, top with vinaigrette, serve. No use being shy, I find the greater the number of ingredients the more interesting the salad becomes as the various flavors and textures meet. Kind of like America before Trump.
Noah was pretty interested in this edition of Improvisation Salad, until he discovered the lurking potatoes.
Improvisation salad
Ingredients
- For about 4 cut-up cooked potatoes my favorite additions include :
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Avocado
- Tuna or salmon canned
- Green beans steamed and cooled
- Apple thinly sliced
- Pickles sliced
- Sunflower seeds
- Dried cranberries
- Walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Mix everything together, top with vinaigrette, serve.
- No use being shy, I find the greater the number of ingredients the more interesting the salad becomes as the various flavors and textures meet. Kind of like America before Trump.
