Pile it up!
As I explore the bowl, the more foods present themselves to be incorporated into my bowl-shaped World view. Once you get the basic structure down, it’s all ready to be a great bowl. Writing Great Bowls of Food seems to have changed the shape of my meals forever.
That is what happened when I spotted some tender young baby potatoes at the farmer’s market. Their fragile, papery skins beckoned, even as their sweet, ever so tender flesh awaited my fork. As much as I love whole grains, when I spot another starch that is this sexy, I have to stray.
Besides, potatoes have gotten an undue bad rap, in the carb wars. (Insert sigh here.) I hope that someday we look back at these as the dark days, when a form of madness struck a sizable part of the population, and the whole grain and potato babies got thrown out with the bathwater. Yes, let’s cut back on our refined sugar and white flour carbs, but no, let’s not kick the poor potato when it is down.
As it turns out, a cold new potato is a whole different animal than a french fry or a potato chip, as far as your body is concerned.
For one thing, when you refrigerate a potato, some of the starches morph into something called “resistant starch,” which is much harder for your body to break down. So much so that it is considered a weight loss tool. Resistant starch is present in other grains and veggies, but the potato is a perfect place to get it. If you want to stay full and have slow burning energy, eat a cold potato.
Another benefit of the resistant starch and fiber in the potato is that beneficial bacteria love it, and they will flourish as they break it down. They then release some powerful anti-cancer chemicals in the process.
The new potato, or baby potato, has twice the Vitamin C of a grown up potato, which is just another reason to stick to these tender little gems. All potatoes are a very good source of Vitamin B6, which is important to heart health, your brain and nervous system, and even athletic performance.
But really, it is all about taste and texture. For my bowl, I tossed my new potatoes in just enough Sriracha mayo to coat, and then I piled some edamame and shredded carrots on top. I slivered some baby kale and cucumber, and tossed that with a sprinkle of salt and a few drops of sesame oil. After a garnish of black sesame, I dolloped a creamy avocado-miso sauce over it all. Now that is a great bowl.
It was new potatoes-meet-Japan, all in a bowl.
New Potato Bowl with Edamame and Avocado Sauce
New Potato Bowl with Edamame and Avocado Sauce
Serves 4
4 cups new potatoes, boiled and quartered
2 tablespoons Sriracha Mayo
1 cucumber
2 cups baby kale
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups edamame, shelled, thawed
black sesame seeds
SAUCE
1 large avocado
1 tablespoon fresh ginger
1 tablespoon white miso
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup brewed green tea
Toss potatoes with Sriracha mayo. Mix the cuke, kale, salt and sesame oil in a bowl and massage a bit, reserve. Prep carrots and edamame.
In a blender, combine the avocado, ginger, miso, vinegar, miring and tea. Blend until smooth.
Arrange the potatoes in 4 bowls, then top with kale mixture, carrot, edamame and a sprinkle of black sesame. Drizzle sauce over the bowls and serve.
