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POTATOES RECIPE & PREPARED STOCK FOOD PHOTOS, STOCK FOOD PICTURES & FOOD PHOTO ART PRINTS

Stock photos & stock pictures gallery of cooked potatoes.

The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family (also known as the nightshades). The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. First introduced outside the Andes region four centuries ago, today potatoes have become an integral part of much of the world’s cuisine and are the world’s fourth-largest food crop, following rice, wheat, and maize.

Potatoes are prepared in many ways: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, with seasonings or without. The only requirement involves cooking to swell the starch granules. Most potato dishes are served hot, but some are first cooked, then served cold, notably potato salad and potato chips/crisps.

Common dishes are: mashed potatoes, which are first boiled (usually peeled), and then mashed with milk or yogurt and butter; whole baked potatoes; boiled or steamed potatoes; French-fried potatoes or chips; cut into cubes and roasted; scalloped, diced, or sliced and fried (home fries); grated into small thin strips and fried (hash browns); grated and formed into dumplings, Rösti or potato pancakes.

Chips & Fries

According to a traditional story, the original potato chip recipe was created in Saratoga Springs, New York on August 24, 1853. Agitated by a patron’s repeatedly sending his fried potatoes back complaining that they were too thick and soggy, resort hotel chef, George Crum, decided to slice the potatoes even thinner. Contrary to Crum’s expectation, the patron (sometimes identified as Cornelius Vanderbilt) loved the new chips and they soon became a regular item on the lodge’s menu under the name “Saratoga Chips”.

The first chips fried in Britain were apparently on the site of Oldham’s Tommyfield Market in 1860.[citation needed] In Scotland, chips were first sold in Dundee, “…in the 1870s, that glory of British gastronomy – the chip – was first sold by Belgian immigrant Edward De Gernier in the city’s Greenmarket.”[16] Traditional “chips” in the United Kingdom and Ireland are usually cut much thicker, typically between 9.5–13 mm (⅜ – ½ inches) square in cross-section and cooked twice (although double frying is less commonly practiced today), making them more crunchy on the outside and fluffier on the inside. Since the surface-to-volume ratio is lower, they have a lower fat content. Thick-cut British chips are occasionally made from unpeeled potatoes to enhance their flavor and nutrional content, and are not necessarily served as crisp as the European French fry due to their higher relative water content.

Chips are part of the popular take-out dish fish and chips. In the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, few towns are without a fish and chip shop. In these countries, the term “French fries” refers to the narrow-cut (shoestring) fries that are served by American-based fast food franchises.

Cooking the best chip is a matter of controversy but according to the cooks of the North of England the best way is to double cook them. Start by deep fry the potato chips in very hot oil for a few minutes then remove the partially cooked chips and put them to one side for a few minutes to rest. Finally return then to the hot fat and cook until brown. This will give a crispy exterior and a soft interior – the perfect chip!!

French fries

The Belgian journalist Jo Gérard recounts that potatoes were fried in 1680 in the Spanish Netherlands, in the area of “the Meuse valley between Dinant and Liège, Belgium. The poor inhabitants of this region allegedly had the custom of accompanying their meals with small fried fish, but when the river was frozen and they were unable to fish, they cut potatoes lengthwise and fried them in oil to accompany their meals.”

Many Belgians believe that the term “French” was introduced when American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I, and consequently tasted Belgian fries. They supposedly called them “French”, as it was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time. “Les frites” (French) or “Frieten” (Dutch) became the national snack and a substantial part of several national dishes.

Potato wedges

Potato wedges, also called jojos, are a variation of french fries. As its name suggests, they are large, often unpeeled wedges of potatoes that are either baked or fried.

They may be seasoned with salt, pepper and spices prior to cooking, to give a crispy flavored ‘skin’.

Potato wedges are popular snack foods in pubs and bars, typically served with condiments such as sour cream, sweet chilli sauce, brown sauce and ketchup. Other condiments that may be eaten with potato wedges include barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, ranch dressing and gravy. Potato wedges may also be served alongside roast meats. They are served at most KFC restaurants as an optional side dish.

In some regions of the United States, potato wedges are known as jojos. This term originated in Ohio and is also used in the Pacific Northwest, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas,and other areas. Jojos are potato wedges fried in the same vat as chicken and usually eaten plain alongside fried chicken, cole slaw, and baked beans.

Potato Croquette

croquette is a small fried food roll containing usually as main ingredients mashed potatoes, and/or minced meat (veal, beef, chicken, or turkey), shellfish, fish, vegetables, and soaked white bread, egg, onion, spices and herbs, wine, milk, or any of the combination thereof, sometimes with a filling, often encased in breadcrumbs. The croquette is usually shaped into a cylinder or disk, and then deep-fried. The croquette (from the French croquer, “to crunch”) was a French invention that gained worldwide popularity, both as a delicacy and as a fast food.

Jersey Royal potato

In around 1880 a Jersey farmer, Hugh de la Haye, showed friends a large potato that he had bought. It had 15 ‘eyes’: points from which new plants sprout. They cut this potato into pieces, which they planted in a côtil (a steeply-sloping field) above the Bellozanne valley. One plant produced kidney-shaped potatoes, with a paper-thin skin, which they called the Jersey Royal Fluke. This was later shortened to Jersey Royal. A gourmets treat boiled and served with butter to appreciate their nutty flavour

Buy all the stock photos in this gallery on line as Royalty Free or Rights managed stock photo. The stock pictures & stock images are all high resolution digital stock photos made award winning professional photographer Paul Williams.

Photo Art prints are also available to buy on line in large to small print formats for framing as art works for home, restaurant, pubs, office art or commercial art.