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Julie Goodwin shares her top tips for perfect potatoes every time

<p dir="ltr">Who doesn't love a good, hearty, delicious serving of fluffy and decadent potatoes?</p> <p dir="ltr">Original <em>MasterChef Australia</em> champion Julie Goodwin has shared her ultimate hacks for cooking the perfect potatoes every time, whether they’re mashed, roasted or baked.</p> <p dir="ltr">According to Julie, there are three key things every home cook needs to keep in mind the next time potatoes are on the menu. </p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Make sure you have the right potatoes </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Depending on whether you want baked, mashed, roasted, or any other way you want to prepare your potatoes, it all starts in the supermarket. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I find that for things like mashed potatoes and gnocchi and rostis you want a floury potato, so the general rule is dirty potatoes for those things," Julie told <em><a href="https://kitchen.nine.com.au/latest/julie-goodwin-top-three-tips-to-cook-potatoes-robertson-potato-festival/4d16ba12-bf14-4af2-990e-dcf0e89c30ee">9Honey</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">"And then for stuff like potato salads, boiled baby potatoes, and potato bake, it's better to have a waxy potato because they hold their substance better. And those are the ones that are sold clean, so things like the Pontiac and Desiree with the pink skin or the washed potatoes with the white skin."</p> <p dir="ltr">"If you want to use them in an Irish stew to break down and thicken the sauce you've got to use a floury potato," she says. "So tend to your dirty ones."</p> <p dir="ltr">She says that if you're buying a clean, waxy potato, you won't have to peel them since the skin is supposed to be edible.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, if you're buying a dirty, floury potato, then you're going to want to peel the dirt off first and then wash off the residue.</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Get those crispy edges </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">As every home cook knows, the key to the perfect roasted potato is for the inside to be soft and fluffy while the outside stays crispy. </p> <p dir="ltr">It can be a tricky balance to master, but Goodwin says there's a simple way to get it right every time.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I like to par boil them before I roast them. Just so that they go a bit fluffy around the edges," she explains. "What happens is those bits go really crispy and lovely."</p> <p dir="ltr"><strong>Let the flavour flow </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">When it comes to seasoning your potatoes, it's hard to know what flavours will suit your dish best. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to Goodwin, more is less when you season potatoes, so it's best to close the spice cabinet.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Salt is absolutely the number one, pepper's beautiful [but] it depends on what the meal is," she says. "So if you're doing a bit of a Portuguese or Spanish inspired meal you might put some paprika on there.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"But I really love rosemary and that's beautiful if you pound that up with your salt and put it on the potatoes that makes it really nice."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram</em></p>

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Stuffed baked potatoes

<p>A steaming-hot baked potato makes perfect comfort food and doesn't need lashings of butter and cheese to be delicious. This tasty vegetarian filling combines marinated mushrooms and zucchini for a healthy filling. Other fillings are limited only by your imagination.</p> <p><strong>Serves:</strong> 4</p> <p><strong>Ingredients: </strong></p> <ul> <li>4 baking potatoes, about 300g each</li> <li>2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil</li> <li>200g small open-cup mushrooms, about 5cm in diameter</li> <li>1 large zucchini, about 170g, sliced</li> <li>1 teaspoon red wine vinegar</li> <li>1 teaspoon dijon mustard</li> <li>Salt and pepper</li> <li>⅓ cup (10g) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley</li> </ul> <p><strong>Preparation:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat the oven to 200°C.</li> <li>Push a metal skewer through each potato or push the potatoes onto a potato roasting rack. (Pushing a metal skewer into the potatoes helps to conduct heat through to their centres so that they cook more quickly.</li> <li>Place the potatoes directly on the shelf in the oven and bake for 1½ hours or until tender.</li> <li>Make the zucchini and mushroom filling when you first put the potatoes in the oven so that it has time to marinate.</li> <li>Alternatively, it can be made just before the potatoes are cooked and served hot.</li> <li>Heat a large ridged chargrill or frying pan.</li> <li>Drizzle half the oil over the pan and cook the mushrooms and zucchini slices for 10-15 minutes or until they are well-browned in places and softened and have released their juices.</li> <li>Transfer the vegetables to a bowl with all their juices and add the remaining oil, the vinegar and mustard.</li> <li>Season to taste, mix well and leave to marinate until the potatoes are cooked.</li> <li>Split open the baked potatoes, then press gently to part the halves, keeping them joined at the base.</li> <li>Stir the parsley into the marinated vegetables, then pile them into the potatoes.</li> <li>Serve immediately.</li> </ol> <p><em>This article first appeared in <strong><a href="http://www.readersdigest.co.nz/recipes/stuffed-baked-potatoes">Reader’s Digest</a></strong>.</em></p> <p><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

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Recipe: Cheesy potato bake

<p>The perfect accompaniment to any meal, everyone needs a great potato bake recipe in his or her repertoire and this one is delicious (and simple). </p> <p><strong>Serves:</strong> Six</p> <p><strong>Preparation time:</strong> 20 minutes</p> <p><strong>Cooking time:</strong> One hour 30 minutes</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span> </strong></p> <ul> <li>60g of butter, plus extra for greasing</li> <li>2 ⅓ cups milk</li> <li>400ml cream</li> <li>2 cups of cheese (tasty or parmesan work well), grated</li> <li>1½ kg potatoes (Sebago, Desiree, or similar), peeled and thinly sliced1 onion, finely chopped</li> <li>3 garlic cloves</li> <li>1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves</li> <li>Salt and pepper to season</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven to 180 °C or 160 °C for fan forced. Lightly grease a seven-cup ovenproof dish. </li> <li>Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add milk and cream, stirring constantly until well combined. </li> <li>Add one and half cups of cheese. Stir to combine. </li> <li>Layer one third of potatoes over base overlapping slightly. Top with half the onion, garlic, thyme and one third of cheese sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat two more times. </li> <li>Brush a sheet of foil with oil and place oil-side down over the potato. Seal tightly. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and brush top with melted butter. Cook a further 45 minutes until tender and golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining cheese for last 15 minutes of cooking.</li> </ol> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Why potatoes don't deserve a bad reputation

<p>In the two decades I've been writing about food and health, one piece of diet advice has remained consistent: Eat more whole plant foods. More vegetables and fruits, more legumes and grains, more tubers and roots. There has been, that I can recall, only one notable exception, and it is the beleaguered potato. Eat more plants! Just not potatoes.</p> <p>Why? One word: starch.</p> <p>Starch is made up of molecules of glucose, a simple sugar, which our cells can use as fuel with very little processing from our bodies. It goes right to the bloodstream, and the blood sugar spike prompts the pancreas to release insulin, which enables our body to either use or store that sugar. When that's done, we're hungry again. The quicker it happens, the sooner we start casing the kitchen, looking for our next meal, and the fatter we get.</p> <p>That's the theory, at any rate, but there's no potato consensus in the nutrition community.</p> <p>Spearheading the anti-potato side is Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health. "Potatoes don't behave like most other vegetables," he said when I spoke with him. "In study after study, potatoes do not seem to have the benefit of reducing cardiovascular disease, and they are related to a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes." They're also associated with weight gain and hypertension, he noted.</p> <p>But the key word there is "associated," and Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, is unwilling to finger potatoes as the cause of that litany of health problems. "This is using one particular food or nutrient as a reductive explanation for diseases and problems that are very complicated and have multiple causes," she says. "It's nutritionism."</p> <p>Because the association between potatoes and disease derives from research on people who are asked what they eat and then tracked until something bad either happens or doesn't, it's hard to conclude that potatoes cause the disease. For starters, accurate self-reported diet data is hard to get.</p> <p>To see just how hard, try filling out one of the questionnaires used by the researchers at Harvard. At Nestle's suggestion, I did, and found it nigh-on impossible. I do most of the shopping and cooking at my house and seldom eat out, but I still hadn't the foggiest idea how often I ate a half-cup serving of cabbage over the past year.</p> <p>Willett fully acknowledges the imperfections and says the surveys are most useful to compare people who seldom eat a particular food with people who eat it several times a week. (If you fall into one of those categories, you're likely to be able to answer accurately.) Even so, a person who eats a lot of potatoes may be different from a person who eats no potatoes – and different in many non-potato-related ways – so it's impossible to definitely blame that heart attack on those French fries.</p> <p>Is the association between potatoes and bad health outcomes a result of how people eat potatoes (often, fried, or with salt and plenty of sour cream)? Or is it because potato eating is part of a dietary or lifestyle pattern that could include, say, cheeseburgers and "Survivor" reruns, and it's the pattern, not the potatoes, that does the damage? Or is it just because the data are unreliable? We don't really know.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/34351/image__498x245.jpg" alt="Image_ (120)"/></p> <p>"Potatoes have calories," says Nestle, and she mentions that pesky word "moderation." But she's sure not giving them up, and she doesn't think we have to, either.</p> <p>Alice H. Lichtenstein, professor of nutrition science and policy at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, also finds reason to be sceptical about the potato's bad reputation - in part, and a bit counterintuitively, because consumption has been tied to so many bad outcomes. "When it's associated with everything, you have to suspect that there's something else that is . . . accounting for it," she says. "Rarely in the science of nutrition do we have any dietary factors that span all outcomes."</p> <p>When you move on from population data to research in which people are fed potatoes in a lab, the picture changes a bit. The knock on potatoes is that the quick spike in blood sugar and subsequent insulin response leave people hungry, but when you feed people potatoes and then ask them how full they are a couple hours later, and track what they eat at the next meal, potatoes seem to be quite satiating.</p> <p>Back in 1995, a group of Australian researchers gave 240 calories' worth of food to subjects who each ate one of 38 specific foods. They tracked how hungry the subjects got and developed a Satiety Index (using white bread as a benchmark, with a score of 100). The hands-down winner, with a Satiety Index of 323, was potatoes. In second place was fish (225), and oatmeal took third (209).</p> <p>It's an imperfect study, as it tracks hunger for only two hours, and few additional studies have compared satiety of potatoes vs. satiety of other foods (and some have been funded by the potato industry). Generally, there is enough disagreement over whether the speed of insulin response correlates with satiety that we shouldn't be so hard on the potato. A food is undoubtedly more than its contribution to blood sugar, and it's not unreasonable to believe that potatoes have other qualities (fibre, water, resistant starch) that could contribute to satiety.</p> <p>Part of the potato's problem is simply its classification. When you call it a vegetable, you ask it to fight above its weight class. Compare potatoes with green vegetables, and you get more calories and less nutrition. But compare potatoes with whole grains, and you find surprising similarities, and even a case that potatoes are more nutritious. Compare 100 calories of baked potato to 100 calories of oatmeal, and you find a bit less protein (3 grams vs. 4), a bit more starch (18 grams vs. 16) and a similar mineral profile (potatoes have more potassium, but oats have more selenium). But potatoes beat out oats in just about every vitamin, as well as fibre.</p> <p>Both Willett and Lichtenstein say they think nutrition guidelines should classify potatoes with grains; Willett would group them with refined grains and Lichtenstein would position them between whole and refined grains.</p> <p>OK, so maybe potatoes should have a place at the table (although both frying and sour cream clearly have to be deployed with care). But if we're going to eat responsibly, we have to look beyond our own health and try to assess the environmental impact of the choices we make. From that point of view, the potato is a contender.</p> <p>Because all crops confer calories, I like calories-per-acre as a starting point for environmental impact. When I use it, I hear from a few (sometimes quite a few) people suggesting (or insisting) that I need to take nutrients into account. Which is absolutely true; we need both calories and nutrients.</p> <p>So, let's look at the potato's per-acre potential to deliver those nutrients vs. the potential of a nutrient powerhouse, broccoli. Sure, potatoes produce about 15 million calories per acre to broccoli's 2 million, but how about individual vitamins and minerals? The potato still scores more wins than losses on nutrients. It yields about half the calcium and vitamin C of broccoli per acre and none of the vitamin A, but it has three times the iron, phosphorus and potassium.</p> <p>Here's what it boils down to: Broccoli delivers nutrients without attendant starch calories, and potatoes deliver nutrients with them. If you're a privileged American with a weight problem, broccoli's a great choice. Green vegetables are, calorie for calorie, the most nutrient-rich foods we can put on our plate. But if we're trying to feed a planet, we have to look at how to maximise both the calories and the nutrients we can grow on the land we have, and potatoes do that very well.</p> <p>Let me be clear: I am very pro-green-vegetable. I eat a lot of them, and I employ various strategies to get my husband to eat them, too. (If I hear "This is the food my food eats" one more time…) Americans' health clearly would benefit if we all ate more of them. But the problem isn't just us. The problem is feeding the world, and we have to avoid crafting solutions in our own dinner's image. Let's hear it for the potato.</p> <p><em>Written by Tamar Haspel. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p>

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Shepherd’s pie with sweet potato topping

<p>Not only is this dish the perfect comfort food for a chilly evening, but it’s also a meal with an interesting history.</p> <p>Made to use up any leftover meat, Shepard’s pie dates back to the 1790s. When it is made with beef it's called cottage pie and if it is made with lamb, then it's shepherd's pie.</p> <p>The sweet potato really spices this recipe up a bit to give it some kiwi flavour.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>2 tbsp. butter, olive or coconut oil</li> <li>1 brown onion, finely chopped</li> <li>2 medium carrots, medium diced</li> <li>2 celery sticks, medium diced</li> <li>450g lamb mince</li> <li>1 ½ (375ml) cups beef stock</li> <li>1 tbsps. Worcestershire sauce</li> <li>40g tomato paste</li> <li>2 large sweet potatoes, peel and cut to quarters</li> <li>2 more tbsps. of butter</li> <li>Dash of cream or full fat milk</li> <li>½ cup mozzarella cheese grated</li> <li>¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated</li> <li>Freshly ground salt and pepper</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven to 180°C for a fan forced oven.</li> <li>Heat butter in a large pan and on a medium heat add onions, carrot and celery.</li> <li>Cook stirring for 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.</li> <li>Add lamb and cook until browned, for about 5-8 minutes, squashing any lumps with a fork.</li> <li>Add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.</li> <li>Season with salt and pepper.</li> <li>Reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally and cook for 30 - 40 minutes or until sauce thickens.</li> <li>When meat sauce has thickened, spoon into an oven proof dish and spread with mashed sweet potatoes.</li> <li>Sprinkle with the two cheeses.</li> <li>Bake 20 minutes or until the top is golden and juices are bubbling through.</li> <li>Serve with some simple steamed broccoli.</li> </ol> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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“The world’s biggest not-a-potato”

<p dir="ltr">A New Zealand couple who thought they had grown the world’s largest potato have been informed that it actually isn’t a potato.</p> <p dir="ltr">Colin and Donna Craig-Brown were weeding their garden on a small farm in Hamilton, when his hoe hit something hard under the ground.</p> <p dir="ltr">Colin bent down to make sure it was a potato and tasted the strange looking object, confirming to his wife that it was a “potato”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The couple named it Dug, took it for walks and even dressed it up when they finally decided to submit the heavy 7.8kg find to the Guiness Book of Records.</p> <p dir="ltr">The record for the world’s largest potato is currently held by someone in Britain, who grew a massive potato weighing just under 5kg.</p> <p dir="ltr">Unfortunately, Colin and Donna’s dreams were shattered when they were told Dug was in fact not a potato.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Sadly the specimen is not a potato and is in fact the tuber of a type of gourd. For this reason we do unfortunately have to disqualify the application,” the email read.</p> <p dir="ltr">He said he couldn’t fight their conclusion because they had submitted Dug’s DNA for testing.</p> <p dir="ltr">“What can you say? We can’t say we don’t believe you, because we gave them the DNA stuff,” Colin told <a href="https://apnews.com/article/worlds-largest-potato-doug-a440afd3c656018c585078ed3ac18970" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite the disappointment, Colin and Donna still care for Dug who now sits in their freezer.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I say ‘gidday’ to him every time I pull out some sausages. He's a cool character,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Whenever the grandchildren come round, they say, ‘Can we see Dug?'"</p> <p dir="ltr">“Dug is the destroyer from Down Under. He is the world’s biggest not-a-potato.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>

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Turns out you've been mashing potatoes wrong this whole time

<p><em>Images: Tiktok and Getty</em></p> <p>When it comes to producing the perfect creamy mashed potatoes, the internet is full of conflicting advice and information.</p> <p>Some swear by peeling and cutting them before boiling, then mashing them while still hot. Others are convinced the way to do it is to keep the skin on while boiling and remove it later, just before mashing them up to make that creamy consistency.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845866/new-project.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/be568044463347f38c5f1a7ab19415e8" /></p> <p>One of the problems with this method is, it can be difficult to peel the potatoes while still hot so they mash properly, which could be where The Wiggles drew their inspiration for the song ‘Hot Potato’.</p> <p>Instead, there is a kitchen hack you can use to peel hot potatoes without burning your fingers that will also help you mash them.</p> <p>Cooking ‘guru’ Lora McLaughlin Peterson has shared her method on TikTok @lorefied.</p> <p>Lora explains she boils her potatoes before slicing them in half. Once this is done, she places a wire cooking rack over a glass pie dish. The next step is pushing the potatoes down and through the wire rack, which serves to both mash them and remove the skin.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845867/new-project-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f49cf08674724a83a473e9a732590d65" /></p> <p>Once this is all done, she is left with rustic mashed potatoes that can be placed in a bowl and finished with salt, butter, milk and whatever else you desire.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 349.5145631067961px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845865/new-project-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/e495c69ccf9743fa9831a2e1656f7f80" /></p> <p>This is the latest cooking hack to go viral and the perfect advice ahead of the festive season.</p>

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Healthier sweet potato and spelt carbonara

<p><em><span>Recipe by Magdalena Roze for Australian Sweet Potatoes</span></em></p> <p><span>I</span>’<span>ve made this recipe for one serve because it</span>’<span>s the perfect meal to make for one when you have leftover sweet potato mash or puree. To cook for more people, simply double, triple etc the quantities. It</span>’<span>s also easily adapted for vegetarians by simply omitting the bacon. In this healthier version of carbonara, I</span>’<span>m using delicious sweet potato as a substitute for cream, and wholesome spelt pasta.</span></p> <p><em><span>Serves 1</span></em></p> <p><strong><span>Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span>100 grams spelt spaghetti</span></li> <li><span>1 tablespoon olive oil</span></li> <li><span>1 garlic clove, crushed</span></li> <li><span>30 grams bacon or pancetta, diced</span></li> <li><span>150 grams sweet potato, pureed</span></li> <li><span>30 grams parmesan cheese, grated</span></li> <li><span>1 whole free range egg, beaten</span></li> <li><span>Salt and pepper to season</span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span>Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li><span>Cook the spelt pasta according to the packet instructions, usually around 10 minutes, and reserve 2 tablespoons of the cooking water for your carbonara sauce.</span></li> </ol> <ol start="2"> <li><span>In the meantime, place the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat, add the garlic and bacon/pancetta, and cook for about 5 minutes or until it</span>’<span>s crisp and golden, then set aside.</span></li> </ol> <ol start="3"> <li><span>Put the sweet potato, parmesan, egg and half the pancetta/bacon in a bowl. When the pasta is ready, remove it from the water with tongs and place it into the bowl along with a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water. Using the tongs or a couple of forks, toss the pasta with all the ingredients until it</span>’<span>s well coated and all ingredients are well combined. The hot pasta will lightly cook the egg.</span></li> </ol> <ol start="4"> <li><span>Top with remaining bacon/pancetta, extra parmesan and a generous amount of sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.</span></li> </ol> <ol start="5"> <li><span>Enjoy!</span></li> </ol>

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Sweet potato crusted shepherd’s pie

<p>Take out your casserole and try this recipe for the weekend.</p> <p><em>Serves 4 </em></p> <p><strong>Ingredients: </strong></p> <ul> <li>1kg sweet potato, peeled, diced</li> <li>150g butter</li> <li>Salt and black pepper</li> <li>3 tbsp olive oil</li> <li>1 onion, finely sliced</li> <li>1 carrot, finely diced</li> <li>1 stick celery, finely diced</li> <li>2 clove garlic, finely chopped</li> <li>500g lamb mince</li> <li>2 tbsp tomato paste</li> <li>2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce</li> <li>½ cup red wine, optional</li> <li>1 cup chicken stock</li> <li>1 x 400g tin tomato</li> <li>1 cup frozen peas</li> <li>½ cup grated cheddar cheese</li> <li>Green leaf salad, to serve</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Steam or boil the sweet potato until cooked and soft then drain, mash and mix with the butter, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.</li> <li>Heat a medium saucepan over a high heat, add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and lamb.</li> <li>Season with a little salt and cook over a medium to high heat to colour the lamb and cook the vegetables, stirring to break up with a spoon as it is cooking. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook for another minute then add the Worcestershire sauce, red wine, chicken stock and tinned tomato and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for approx. 30 minutes.</li> <li>Preheat the oven to 190C. Adjust the seasoning of the lamb ragu then spoon the lamb mix into a baking dish, stir through the peas and top evenly with the mash sweet potato. Cover with the cheddar then bake for 15 -20 minutes before serving with a green salad if preferred.</li> </ol>

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Butter chicken and sweet potato

<p>Looking for something wholesome and fulfilling for dinner? Try out this comforting butter chicken and sweet potato dish as a winter’s warmer.</p> <p><em>Serves 4</em></p> <p><em>Prep time: 15 mins + 1-hour marinating (optional)</em></p> <p><em>Cooking time: 40 mins</em></p> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <ul> <li>2 tbs tandoori curry paste</li> <li>¼ cup Greek yoghurt</li> <li>700g small chicken thigh fillets, trimmed                      </li> <li>1 tbs ghee or vegetable oil</li> <li>1 brown onion, finely chopped</li> <li>1 long green chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped</li> <li>800g sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthways, cut into 3cm pieces</li> <li>420g jar butter chicken sauce</li> <li>400g can finely chopped tomatoes                   </li> <li>150ml thickened cream</li> <li>Warm naan, to serve</li> <li>cucumber raita &amp; coriander sprigs (optional), to serve</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Combine curry paste and yoghurt in a bowl. Cut chicken in half crossways (if chicken is large cut into thirds). Stir into tandoori mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour only if you have time.</li> <li>Preheat oven 230°C fan forced. Remove chicken from marinade. Place on a greased tray. Roast 10 minutes in hot oven.</li> <li>Meanwhile, heat ghee or oil in a deep-frying pan or wok. Add onion and chilli. Cook stirring 4 minutes until soft. Add sweet potato, cook 5 minutes. Add butter chicken sauce and tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until sweet potato just tender. Stir in cream. Add the chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes until chicken cooked through.</li> <li>Serve with warm naan, raita and coriander.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Ghee is clarified butter, its available in the Indian section of the supermarket. Once opened, store in the fridge. It’s great for cooking curries, pancakes, pikelets and cooking over high heat as it won’t burn like regular butter.</p>

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Miguel’s mushroom sweet potato gnocchi

<p>When it comes to cooking, celebrity chef Miguel Maestre has a surprising favourite ingredient – mushrooms.</p> <p>“Mushrooms are a brilliant and versatile ingredient that make meal times tastier and healthier,” the restaurateur and TV presenter said.</p> <p>Here’s one of Miguel’s mushroom recipes.</p> <p><strong>Recipe by: </strong>Miguel Maestre for Australian Mushrooms</p> <p><em>Serves 2-3</em></p> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <ul> <li>2 medium sweet potatoes</li> <li>2 cups all purpose flour</li> <li>2 teaspoons salt flakes</li> <li>flour for dusting</li> <li>250g Swiss brown and button mushrooms, chopped in quarters</li> <li>10 sage leaves</li> <li>2 tbsp toasted pinenuts (optional)</li> <li>1/2 lemon</li> <li>50g butter</li> <li>Grated Parmesan</li> </ul> <p> <strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork, and then bake them for at least 1 hour on a bed of rock salt in the oven until they are tender and the skin starts to look wrinkly.</li> <li>While the potato is still warm, peel the skin away from the flesh and set aside to cool slightly.</li> <li>If you have a potato ricer, put the sweet potatoes through this. Otherwise you can use a fine sieve and push the potato through with a ladle or wooden spoon.</li> <li>Place the flour on a board, or your kitchen bench. Make a well in the centre and add the riced / sieved sweet potatoes to the well.  Season with salt and pepper.</li> <li>Using your hands, work the sweet potato into the flour until it’s fully combined. You don’t want the dough to be sticky so keep adding flour gradually until you get a nice dry dough. This could take quite a bit of extra flour.</li> <li>Once fully combined, roll the dough into a ball and cut it into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece into a long sausage, each about a finger in thickness.</li> <li>Cut the rolls of dough into 2cm little pillows of gnocchi, and gently toss each piece into some flour on your work bench to ensure that it’s dry. At this point you could also use a gnocchi board or fork to press grooves into each piece of gnocchi to make it more professional looking but this is optional and tastes just as good without!</li> <li>To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the salt. Blanch the sweet potato gnocchi in salted boiling water until they all float. Then drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.</li> <li>In a large frying pan, over a high heat, add a splash of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter, add the quartered mushrooms and cook for a few minutes until golden. Spoon out the mushrooms into a bowl.</li> <li>Using the same frying pan, add the cooked gnocchi and sear until crispy. Add the remaining butter, pine nuts, sage leaves and mushrooms you just set aside. Cook until the butter starts to burn.</li> <li>Then add lemon juice and Parmesan and serve.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Tip: </strong></p> <ul> <li>Putting the potatoes through a sieve or potato ricer is a vital step to making gnocchi, as this breaks down the starch.</li> <li>If you make gnocchi often, a potato ricer is a fairly inexpensive kitchen tool that is handy to have.</li> </ul>

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The potato trick to help get rid of neck pain and migraines

<p>An expert has revealed an unlikely item that serves to relieve neck pain and migraines.</p> <p>Those dealing with neck stiffness could use humble potatoes to treat themselves, said Stephen Makinde, the clinical director of Perfect Balance Clinic in London.</p> <p>“We’ve seen an increase in the number of clients with neck problems and migraines associated with neck stiffness since the start of the coronavirus lockdown,” Makinde told the <em><a href="https://www.dailystar.co.uk/health/bizarre-baking-potato-trick-could-22096583">Daily Star</a></em>.</p> <p>The problem could be attributed to increased use of electronic devices during the pandemic, which affects the upper back, he said.</p> <p>“If you are looking down, which you do when working on a laptop, what tends to happen is the head starts to hang forward and that puts a lot of strain on the upper back,” he said.</p> <p>“This can often cause a burning sensation in the trapezius muscles and affects other muscles in the neck, the spine and the nerves.”</p> <p>Makinde said lying down with tennis balls placed underneath the back of the head can help loosen muscles, release tension and help “reset the neck position”.</p> <p>“Tennis balls are really useful for this, but most people don’t have tennis balls at home,” he said.</p> <p>“So baking potatoes work well, too. You just sellotape them together and lie down flat, with the potatoes placed underneath the back of your head.</p> <p>“This is a really easy and useful thing people can do at home to release their neck tension and the pressure around there themselves.”</p> <p>In an interview with <em><a href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise/on-the-show/coronavirus-australia-how-to-prevent-back-and-neck-pain-when-working-from-home-c-1059473">Sunrise</a></em>, Australian Chiropractors Association President Dr Anthony Coxon also recommended getting up and moving every half an hour as well as increasing the height of the screens we are using.</p>

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Satay chicken jacket potato

<p>Caught in a pinch with just the basic ingredients? This satay chicken jacket potato dish can keep your dinner exciting with flavoursome spices and sauces that you should already have in the pantry. Pre-cut, frozen and pre-packaged vegetables can also easily take the place of fresh ingredients and herbs where needed.</p> <p>For those with peanut allergy, replace the peanut butter with the equally tasty tahini.</p> <p><strong><span>Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span>2 large sweet potatoes</span></li> <li><span>1 tablespoon coconut oil</span></li> <li><span>400g chicken mince</span></li> <li><span>2 cloves of garlic, crushed</span></li> <li><span>1 teaspoon ginger</span></li> <li><span>2 tablespoon tamari</span></li> <li><span>4 tablespoon Mayver’s <a href="https://mayvers.com.au/product/mayvers-dark-roasted-smooth-peanut-butter/">Dark Roasted Peanut Butter</a>or <a href="https://mayvers.com.au/product/mayvers-hulled-tahini/">Tahini</a></span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span>To serve:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li><span>2 spring onions, thinly sliced</span></li> <li><span>1 chilli, thinly sliced (optional) </span></li> <li><span>Micro herbs to garnish</span></li> </ul> <p><strong><span>Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven to 200°C and line a baking tray. Cook the potatoes whole, for 60 minutes or until tender and soft when cut with a knife.</li> <li>When there is 20 minutes to go, start making the chicken satay.</li> <li>Heat the coconut oil in a fry pan and brown the chicken mince. Add the garlic, ginger, tamari and peanut butter or tahini and mix to combine. Allow to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. If your mince is getting a little bit dry, add a splash of chicken stock to help keep the moisture in.</li> <li>Cut the sweet potato in half and add half the satay to each potato. Garnish each with half the spring onion, half the chilli and half the micro herbs.</li> </ol> <p> </p> <p><em><span>Recipe by Monica of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/monicayateshealth/">@monicayateshealth</a>.</span></em></p>

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Feel fuller for longer with a roast sweet potato and cherry tomato omelette

<p>A perfect breakfast after an early morning walk or workout, this omelette is sure to leave you feeling full and satisfied.</p> <p><strong>Serves: </strong>1</p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li>3 eggs</li> <li>½ small sweet potato (cubed)</li> <li>¼ bunch of fresh parsley finely chopped</li> <li>6 cherry tomatoes</li> <li>2 large handfuls fresh spinach</li> <li>½ tsp smoked paprika</li> <li>Salt and pepper</li> </ul> <p><strong>Directions</strong></p> <ol> <li>Cut the sweet potato into small cubes and lay onto an oven tray and roast until soft at 180°C. They should only take about 10-12 minutes. Half way through cooking throw the cherry tomatoes onto the tray and roast for the remaining time.</li> <li>Microwave the spinach in a bowl for 30s.</li> <li>Whisk the eggs then season with salt and pepper and smoked paprika, pour into a pan on medium heat. Stir the eggs quickly once or twice then evenly scatter the sweet potato and cherry tomatoes across half of the omelette, sprinkle chopped fresh parsley over the top then carefully fold the other half over the top.</li> <li>Slide onto a plate and serve. I love a little squeeze of spicy sriracha sauce over the top.</li> </ol> <p><em>Recipe courtesy of Richard Kerrigan, <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/rkthebeachlife/">The Beach Life</a></u>, Qualified Chef and Personal Trainer. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/roast-sweet-potato-and-cherry-tomato-omelette.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Sweet potato, corn and bean salad

<p>This wholesome salad can be eaten as a side or served on its own.</p> <p>Serves 4-6 as side salad</p> <p>Prep time: 20 mins</p> <p>Cooking time: 20 mins</p> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <ul> <li>1kg sweet potatoes, scrubbed</li> <li>2 tbs olive oil</li> <li>2 tbs fajita spice</li> <li>3 fresh corn cobs</li> <li>425g can black beans, drained, rinsed</li> <li>2 tomatoes, chopped</li> <li>1 avocado, chopped</li> <li>1/2 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced</li> <li>1 cup coriander leaves</li> </ul> <p><strong>Dressing</strong></p> <ul> <li>3 tbs extra virgin olive oil</li> <li>1 lime, juiced</li> <li>1 tbs finely chopped pickled jalapeño</li> <li>1 tsp caster sugar</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven 220°C fan forced. Cut the sweet potatoes in half crossway then into wedges lengthways. Place onto a large, greased baking tray. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle over the fajita. Turn to coat. Roast 20 minutes, turning once until golden and tender.</li> <li>Combine all the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Season then whisk until well combined. Remove 1 tablespoon to a jug.</li> <li>While sweet potato is roasting, cook corn on a greased barbecue grill plate, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until lightly charred. Remove to a board, cut kernels from cobs. Add corn, black beans, tomato, avocado and onion to the dressing. Stir to combine.</li> <li>Spoon corn mixture over the roasted sweet potato. Pour over the reserved dressing. Toss gently to combine. Scatter with coriander. Serve.</li> </ol> <p><em>Recipe by Australian Sweet Potatoes.</em></p>

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Sweet potato crisps with chili coconut salt

<p>This recipe makes for a snack everyone in the family could enjoy – and it takes less than an hour to prep and cook. Try it this week!</p> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <ul> <li>3 sweet potato, skin on, scrubbed (you can use orange, purple or white)</li> <li>light olive oil or vegetable oil, for frying</li> <li>chilli coconut salt</li> <li>¼ cup shredded coconut</li> <li>2 tsp sea salt flakes</li> <li>1 tsp brown sugar</li> <li>1 tsp chilli flakes</li> <li>1 tbs thyme leaves</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>For the chilli coconut salt; Scatter coconut into a small non-stick frying pan. Place over medium heat. Cook shaking pan for 3 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove to plate to cool. Transfer coconut to a small food processor, add remaining ingredients and process until well combined.</li> <li>Using a mandolin, thinly slice the sweet potato into rounds. Pat surface dry with paper towel.</li> <li>Half fill a medium saucepan or wok with oil and heat over medium heat until hot. Cook the sweet potato in batches, for 2-3 minutes until light golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a wire rack sitting over a baking tray.</li> <li>Sprinkle crisps with a little salt as they come from the oil. Repeat until all sweet potato crisps are cooked, reheating the oil between batches as needed.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Tips:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Crisps will keep 3 days in an airtight jar. if they go a little soft just spread onto a baking tray and heat in 200°C fan forced oven for 3-5 minutes (on cooling they will become crisp again)</li> <li>No mandolin! Peel sweet potatoes into long strips using a potato peeler.</li> <li>When cooking the crisps, a sign they are cooked is when the oil stops bubbling.</li> </ul> <p><em>Recipe by Australian Sweet Potatoes.</em></p>

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Boost your veggie intake with a sweet potato chickpea burger

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Up your veggie intake with ease thanks to these sweet potato and chickpea burgers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Makes:</strong> 4</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Prep time:</strong> 20 + 30 mins chill</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Cooking time:</strong> 35 mins</span></p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">600g sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthways</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 small red onion, finely chopped</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 garlic cloves, crushed</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 lemon, juiced</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">2 tbs smokey chipotle spice blend or fajita seasoning</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">1 cup fresh breadcrumbs</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">¼ cup raw couscous</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">olive oil cooking spray</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">hamburger buns </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wedges iceberg lettuce</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Onion jam &amp; chipotle mayonnaise, to serve</span></li> </ul> <p><strong>Methods</strong></p> <ol> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chop the sweet potato into 3cm chunks. Place onto a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave 7-8 minutes or until just tender when tested with a skewer. Drain any excess water.  Smash with a fork then transfer to a bowl. Cool 15 minutes.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Combine chickpeas, onion, garlic, lemon juice and spice in a food processor. Season, process until mixture almost comes together. Add to the sweet potato with the parsley, breadcrumbs and raw couscous. Shape mixture into 4 patties. Place on a lined baking tray, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up if time permits. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">Place a flat tray into the oven. Preheat oven and tray 220°C fan forced. Spray both sides of the patties with oil. Place onto the hot tray. Cook 15 minutes, turn and cook for a further 10 minutes until light golden.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">To serve, spread onion jam over the base of burger buns. Top with lettuce and sweet potato pattie. Drizzle with chipotle mayonnaise. Serve.</span></li> </ol> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recipe credit of <a href="http://australiansweetpotatoes.com.au/">Australian Sweet Potatoes</a>.</span></em></p>

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Enjoy a hearty salmon and redbelly in cartoccio with smashed potatoes

<p>This seafood dish with a citrus twist from Lyndey Milan is the perfect meal for a summer's day.</p> <p><strong>Time to prepare: </strong>10 minutes</p> <p><strong>Cooking time: </strong>12 minutes</p> <p><strong>Serves: 4</strong></p> <p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p> <p><strong>Smash potatoes</strong></p> <div class="article-body"> <ul> <li>800g chat potatoes, boiled until very tender</li> <li>2 tablespoons (40ml) extra virgin olive oil</li> </ul> <p><strong>Salmon</strong></p> <ul> <li>6 redbelly citrus (also known as blood oranges)</li> <li>4 salmon fillets</li> <li>1 baby fennel, cored, thinly sliced, fronds reserved</li> <li>20 green Sicilian olives, stoned</li> <li>2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed</li> <li>Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper</li> <li>⅓ cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil</li> </ul> <p><strong>Directions</strong></p> <ul> <li>1. Pre-heat oven to 200⁰C (180⁰C fan-forced).</li> </ul> <p><strong>Smashed potatoes</strong></p> <ol> <li>Place boiled potatoes on a paper-lined baking tray and use the back of a fork or a potato masher to lightly crush each potato. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.</li> <li>Bake for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden, turning once half way to encourage browning. Increase oven to 220’C (200’C fan-forced). Leave potatoes in the oven.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Salmon</strong></p> <ol> <li>Cut eight 34 x 30cm pieces of baking paper. Lay four pieces over the bench, top each with a second piece.</li> <li>Wash 2 redbelly citrus, leave skin on and slice into rounds. Juice 1 redbelly, cut 3 redbelly into segments and cut a small slice off the ends of each remaining redbelly. Stand up on one end, and carefully, following the contour of the redbelly, cut down to remove the peel and the pith. Holding the fruit in one hand, cut down one side of the membrane on one segment, almost to the core. Cut down along the inside of the opposite membrane, to cut out a wedge with no pith or membrane attached. Repeat until you have cut out all segments. Squeeze juice out of the remaining core into the juice then discard the core.</li> <li>Place a bed of redbelly slices in the centre of each layer of baking paper, and top evenly with salmon fillet, fennel, olives, capers, salt and pepper and drizzle with redbelly juice and olive oil.</li> <li>Bring the long sides of each piece up and fold and roll firmly down. Then fold in the 2 short sides and tuck them under tightly to create a pocket. Repeat to make five more parcels.</li> <li>Place parcels seam side on oven tray. Bake until just cooked through 10 minutes.</li> <li>Remove straight onto serving plates, carefully open the top of each parcel. Serve with smashed potatoes.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Tips:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Any fish can be used or try thinly sliced chicken breast or pork medallions.</li> <li>Vegetarian alternative: replace salmon with zucchini strips and mushrooms.</li> </ul> <p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/lyndey-milan-salmon-and-redbelly-in-cartoccio.aspx">Wyza.com.au</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Simple to do: One-pan potato tortilla

<p>One-pan dishes are easy to serve and help minimise the after dinner clean up. The asparagus, potato and egg combo results in a satisfying light meal packed with goodness. For a fresh touch, whip up a quick green salad while the tortilla is cooking.</p> <p><em>Recipe provided to the <u><a href="http://www.asparagus.com.au/">Australian Asparagus Council</a></u> by <u><a href="http://www.asparagus.com.au/index.php/dining_out/chefsandfoodies/liz_posmyk/__">Liz Posmyk</a></u></em></p> <p>Time to prepare <em>25 mins</em> | Serves <em>4-6</em></p> <p><strong>Ingredients </strong></p> <ul> <li>1/3 cup olive oil </li> <li>3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly </li> <li>1 brown onion, peeled and sliced thinly </li> <li>4 garlic cloves, crushed </li> <li>6 eggs </li> <li>1/4 cup milk </li> <li>Pinch of salt </li> <li>2 bunches asparagus, woody ends removed </li> <li>1 jar capsicum or tomato relish or chutney, to serve</li> </ul> <p><strong>Directions</strong></p> <p>1. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add 1/3 of the oil and cover pan with 1/3 of the potato slices, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until tender and golden. Transfer potato slices to a plate and set aside. Add half of the remaining oil to pan and cook the rest of the potato as above.</p> <p>2. Add remaining oil to pan, reduce heat to medium and cook onions until translucent and a light golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.</p> <p>3. Using an 18-20cm diameter ovenproof frying pan, layer 1/2 of the cooked potato slices in pan. Add half the onion mixture in a layer and arrange the asparagus spears in a single layer on top. Layer with remaining potato, and then remaining onion.</p> <p>4. Place eggs in a large jug or bowl the milk and salt. Whisk to combine. Slowly pour egg mixture over potato, asparagus and onion in pan, tilting pan to evenly distribute egg mixture.</p> <p>5. Cover and cook tortilla over a medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, or until egg begins to set in centre. Remove from stove and cook under a medium to hot grill until cooked and golden, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 4-5 minutes.</p> <p>6. To serve, cut into thick wedges and serve with a spoonful of capsicum or tomato relish or chutney.</p> <p><strong>Tips</strong></p> <ul> <li>The amount of potatoes required will vary depending on the size of your pan and the size of the potatoes. Any good all rounder variety of potato would be suitable. </li> <li>For a lower fat version, instead of frying the potato slices, steam them, or cook them in a microwave oven. </li> <li>Choose your favourite store bough capsicum or tomato relish. </li> <li>For this recipe to be gluten-free, avoid using stocks, sauces and condiments containing wheat. Take care to check ingredient labels on all products you use.</li> </ul> <p><em>Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/recipes/potato-tortilla.aspx">Wyza.com.au.</a></em></p>

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