What's the best way to eat a potato? Considering the average American consumes
more than 124 pounds of potatoes each year, it shouldn't surprise anyone to hear there
are countless ways to enjoy potatoes. Baking, mashing, frying, and everything in between,
we love this starchy veggie and it loves us back. According to Potato Goodness,
potatoes are high in vitamins C and B6 and contain more potassium than a banana.
They also contain complex carbohydrates that provide energy for your muscles
and fuel for your brain. Who doesn't need more of that?
But the real secret to eating potatoes starts way before you chow down – with the prep work.
We're not here to add things to your to-do list. Rather, there's one step you can remove from your
potato prep routine altogether: peeling them. That's right! No more precious minutes wasted
shaving the skin from your spuds, desperately trying to avoid nicking your knuckles with the
vegetable peeler. Keep those potato skins intact, and not only will you save yourself
time, but you'll boost the nutrition content of your meal in the process.
This is because potato skin is notably high in fiber, which is effective in maintaining a
healthy weight. One whole baked potato will also provide a significant amount of your
daily iron intake and the majority of that iron content is found in the skin. Iron regulates the
growth of cells that fight pathogens, which is important for a healthy immune system.
Potato skin also contains immunity-boosting vitamin C, potassium for healthy muscles,
and phytochemicals which potentially protect the body from heart disease and cancer. Potatoes and
their skin are fat-free and contain small amounts of high-quality plant protein, making them an
all-around great choice for your diet. Just be sure to keep your fried potato indulgences like
chips and french fries to a minimum, and stick to healthier preparations like baking and boiling.
What about the potato's copper-colored cohort, the sweet potato?
"Now twirl me darling."
"You got it, sweet potato!"
"Ahh, I can't get away from you!"
They're not technically related, although they're both called potatoes. White potatoes
are nightshades and sweet potatoes are part of the same family as the morning glory. But sweet
potato skins are just as edible as other potato skins and come with a few added benefits, too.
In addition to 13 percent of your daily fiber and seven percent of your recommended daily
energy-boosting complex carbs in a 100-gram serving, the National Institutes of Health
says a baked sweet potato with its skin can provide 156 percent of your daily
recommended intake of vitamin A. Vitamin A plays an important role in immune function,
vision, reproduction, and cellular communication.
The flesh of a sweet potato is also rich in beta-carotene,
which is a powerful antioxidant that can help protect cells from free radicals.
Both tasty and nutritious, sweet potatoes and their skins can be a win-win for your health.
This is all great news, and we're more than happy to ditch the labor-intensive task of
peeling anyway, but a bonus of saving your potato skins is that they can taste
amazingly good! A baked potato's skin that's been salted and crisped to perfection is a revelation.
Leaving the thin, wispy skins on mashed Yukon Golds adds a rustic,
delicious touch of charm and can cure all your comfort food cravings.
And don't forget skin-on sweet potato nachos topped with ground turkey and
fresh veggies. So what if the skin can be odd-looking and sometimes covered in dirt? Okay,
no one wants to eat funny-looking, dirty potatoes. This is why you
always need to clean your potato skins well before enjoying them.
Grit, growths, and toxins, have no place in these culinary delights.
Step one to a clean spud is to wash and scrub your potato well under cold, running water,
using a brush or kitchen towel to remove dirt. Simply Recipes says if your potato has small,
nubby sprouts, to remove those with a knife. If a white potato's skin or
the flesh itself has a green tint, cut that part away to avoid ingesting anything toxic.
Cooking Light explains the green tint signals a build-up of a toxin called solanine, which can
cause headaches, nausea, and fatigue if consumed. Once your potatoes are clean and trimmed of any
sprouts or green-colored spots, you're ready to cook the spuds of your dreams, skins and all.
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