Sister Erin commented on how long my previous post, about Subway UK’s foray into Loaded Baked Potato territory, came out. But I countered that the Baked Potato is a wondrous and mysterious creation. And even more could be said…
A ‘healthy’ loaded Baked Potato: Lots of Cauliflower and Broccoli –
and just enough melted Cheddar cheese to make it ‘interesting’…
If there’s one dish of which, it could be argued, even the most inept social media photographer couldn’t help but take an appetizing shot… It’s the Baked Potato…
Nature’s most nearly perfect food?
I jest – jest a little, mind you – when I suggest that the Baked Potato (BP) may be ‘Nature’s Most Nearly Perfect food’. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s an old, venerable slogan used long and successfully by the commercial dairies to plug Milk.
There’s no basis on which to make a direct comparison between the two. But I do sincerely believe that there’s at least as much, overall, to recommend the perfect Baked Spud nutritionally as there is a standard 8 oz. / 235 ml glass of 2 percent milk.
One of the Amazing Facts that smacked some of my fellow culinary school students square across their gaping gobs was that the baked potato is one of the most nutritious foods you can put on a plate. But at the same time, one of the cheapest and easiest to prepare.
Where it all falls apart…
The experts, however, always seem eager to burst that bubble by reminding us that potatoes – though nutritionally dense and versatile – usually fail us in the long run because of what we put on them. Butter, Sour Cream, Russian or Ranch Dressing, condiments such as Ketchup, Cheese and other thick sauces and sometimes even gravies from the roasts BPs often accompany… All add excess Cal-ories, salt, fat and even sugar we don’t want in a healthy meal these days.
And if we fry our spuds – especially deep-fry them – we’re doing them an even greater, fatty dis-service.
‘The right thing to do…’
… Is, basically, to ‘keep it simple’: Bake, boil or steam your potatoes without any additions, and only enough salt to make the water ‘taste like the sea’. Leave the skins on for flavour and fibre. And don’t load them up with all the ‘good’ stuff I know you’ve been imagining you’d put on top of your ‘ideal’ Loaded BP.
But the issue here, is not ideals, theoreticals or other unattainable perfections. It’s how to keep a beautifully-baked Jacket Potato relatively healthy while piling it as high as possible with tasty, satisfying veggies and proteins to make it a really ‘WOW’ main.
In that regard…
… Use only a minimum brushing of light, unsaturated oils to cook your toppings. And use healthy procedures (such as Wok- or Air-frying, or sheet-pan oven-baking) when prepping thinly sliced meats and veggies to load your BPs. Use fresh herbs or classic spices, or traditional flavouring agents such as garlic, to enhance their sensory appeal.
Taking classic Fajitas as an example, avoid conventional condiments and sauces. I love Mexican Pico de Gallo (fresh-tomato and Onion ‘relish’), Salsa Verde, or classic Salsa Mexicano on top of a freshly-baked potato!
Cheese, though problematic when used in excess, is a complement non-pareil for ‘naked’ baked, boiled or steamed potatoes. In moderation, your basic Cheddar, Jack or other semi-hard melting cheese is a nutrition-rich food whose plusses far outweigh its minuses!
My take
Could I have squeezed more old truisms and food industry slogans into this post? I hardly think so. And it’s not because I didn’t try.
I just can’t enthuse enough about the virtues – and delights – of the noble potato! In it’s simplest, purest ‘state of nature’…
~ Maggie J.