Potatoes are the ultimate comfort food.
Easy to digest, potatoes have been a staple for people living in areas with nutrient-poor soil (1). Like rice, they’ve kept entire societies alive during times of poor harvest or famine.
Currently, potatoes are the No. 1 vegetable crop in the United States and the fourth most consumed crop in the world, according to the U.S. department of agriculture (2).
Although potatoes are rich in nutrients, the vegetable is most often served processed or fried, making it quite unhealthy. But there are other ways to enjoy this food without spoiling its nutritional content.
Potato Benefits
Not only are potatoes versatile, they’re also nutritious!
This “nightshade” vegetable is packed with vitamins C and B6, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, pantothenic acid and more. Potatoes are said to improve digestion, heart health, blood pressure and even prevent some cancers by improving cell repair (3).
It also contains health-boosting phytonutrients including carotenoids, which play a role in preventing disease; flavonoids, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; and caffeic acid, which boosts exercise-related performance and fights fatigue (4,5,6).
Better yet, potatoes improve blood pressure thanks to their high fiber content, which helps control cholesterol, and their high potassium and kukoamine content. They even contain more potassium than bananas!
Plus, the veggie is high in Vitamin B6, which your body uses to synthesize important brain chemicals like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The vitamin also fights free radicals to promote heart health (7,8).
Potato Stacks
If you like, you can substitute the gold potatoes with sweet potatoes or purple potatoes.
Also, it’s you’re trying to reduce your calorie intake, supplement the butter from extra-virgin olive oil and replace the cheese with one egg per cup to hold the stack together.
You can even make the recipe vegan by holding the potatoes together using cut-down kebab sticks and making your own cashew cheese.
The possibilities are endless!
- 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese
- 8-10 gold potatoes
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons butter
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- salt
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan, set aside, and butter the muffin tin.
- Scrub potatoes, remove their skin, and cut them into thin slices.
- Places the slices in a large mixing bowl, and add cheese, butter, and spices.
- Toss until well coated.
- Layer the slices in each cup of the muffin tin and season with salt and pepper.
- Place it in the oven and bake for an hour, until the edges of the potatoes are brown and their centers are soft.
- Let them cool for 5 minutes and garnish with rosemary, thyme, or Parmesan cheese before serving.