Potatoes

Potatoes are one of my favorite things so any dietician/nutritionist that gives me permission, even encourages me to eat potatoes, is a hero in my book.

I nearly always cook potatoes in the pressure cooker. Occassionally I “bake” a potato, sweet or non, in the microwave. I use the pressure cooker partially because boiling takes a long time at 9000 ft. Also, they get steamed in the pressure cooker, rather than boiled, and I think they hold onto more flavor and have better texture.

To prepare I place the steaming plate in the pressure cooker and add some water, not so much that it rises above the steaming plate. I scrub potatoes and cut out any bad spots, then cut into roughly equal pieces. It doesn’t really matter what size as long as they’re not small enough to fall through the holes, into the water. Smaller cook faster. I usually choose a size that’s roughly equivalent to a medium-small red potato. Organic red potatoes are my favorite. I often wrap a salted potato or two in foil to eat during brevets. In that case I peel the potato either before or after cooking.

I bring up the pressure and hold it for 10-15 min. (As I’ve said before, if you live at a lower altitude you’ll need to adjust your cooking time. At sea level you may only need to cook for 5-7 min.) After that I let the pressure release naturally. Then voilà! Perfect (most times) potatoes!