Monday, October 1, 2012

Purple Mashed Potatoes?

Hi all,

I had so much fun at my first ACFW conference last weekend! I met Seekers (hey Missy!), Seekervillians (hey Mindy!), and tons of other wonderful people...

...but then I came home.

To a looming deadline.


And somewhere I was attacked by a first-class cold. I'm sure I picked it up on the plane between Denver and Rapid City. My seat-mate wasn't healthy, and my immune system was busy fighting Texas allergies.

So have I cooked in the last week? No way.

BUT, the line-edits are ready to turn in this morning after a quick run-through, the cold is back to being manageable, and I'm ready to talk food.

Conference food.

This is what we had for lunch one day (don't ask me which day...it's all pretty fuzzy):



Yes, those are purple potatoes.

When I showed this picture to my family, my daughter's reaction was: "Oh yeah, they use those on the food network all the time."

And she's right - they're Peruvian potatoes, which come in so many shapes and colors it's unbelievable!


Purple potatoes start out...well...purple. The color goes through the entire potato and survives cooking and mashing (as you can see above!).

But, that leads us to my dear husband's comment when he saw my lunch photo (and keep in mind, this man is a food service professional and has been feeding people, lots and lots of people, for 35 years): "Never serve a food that's an unnatural color. They won't like it."

So now you get to weigh in with your opinion - purple potatoes or not? Would you serve them?

And if you were with us in Dallas, what was your reaction when you saw them?

37 comments:

  1. Oh, I laughed at that first photo!

    As for the purple potatoes, my sister is really into heirloom seeds (she's thinking when Monsanto destroys the seed crop, she'll still be eating well ebcause hers weren't fiddled with). So, she grows all sorts of crazy veggies, including purple potatoes, which my kids LOVE.

    She sent me a text photo last week of a giant purple tomato that was on a small scale. 2.79 LBS!!!! HUGE. And it was purple. Can't beat that.

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  2. On the purple potatoes cant say I would like to have them served up to me. but I dont really like potatoes much now days.

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    1. Ausjenny, how are you feeling? Are done with your water guzzling??

      praying for you peace and comfort!

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    2. I dont have to drink as much now but should drink more than I am. I am still not sleeping well. at least I wake later but I just cant get to sleep. I go to bed 10.30ish and am still awake after midnight. So get around 5 hours on a good night which is better than none but still very tiring after around 5 weeks of hardly any sleep.
      Had a blood test Friday well find out what the iron levels are next Wednesday.

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  3. This is GREAT - and hilarious. LOL!
    First thought about the purple potatoes? "Er...they looked like dryer fuzz"

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  4. But they tasted a WHOLE LOT BETTER

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  5. I would serve them up for sure. The only food I won't serve are those in that unnatural blue. I haven't forgiven the M&M people for taking away the tan ones and introducing the world to that blue.

    I am already thinking how lovely these would be served with carrots and beets!

    Peace and blessings on the deadline, Julie

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    1. We have smarties here they are like M&M's only nicer and I have to say I love the blue ones.

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  6. I would serve them, if I could find them. I've never seen them for sale. Do they taste similar to red or russets?

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  7. I loved seeing the purple potatoes on my plate! But then I've been known to plant a few oddball varieties in my garden since I learned that South America knows dozens if not hundreds of varieties where in Canada we seem to know three: red, white, and Yukon Gold. (I'm usually a red girl).

    Glad you're feeling better, Jan!

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  8. Good morning everybody!

    And it is a GOOD morning since I hit the "send" button on my line edits :)

    Pepper, I love your comment. Dryer fuzz. Yes, that bluish-gray color did look familiar, didn't it? But they tasted good :)

    Jenny, potatoes are such a staple around here, I can't imagine not eating them! BTW - still keeping you in my prayers! Spring is coming soon, isn't it?

    Virginia, that picture was me last week. I was able to work in the mornings, but afternoons I conked out.... And gardening the way your sister does has always intrigued me (I think it's my Swiss background - self sufficient, surrounded by mountains), but it certainly takes TIME. I thought I'd have more time once I retired from homeschooling, but it's quite the opposite.

    Julie, I'm with you on those M&M's. And you're right - the purple color would look great with carrots and beets. I think the main problem is that they were a bit gray when they were mashed. It took some imagination to actually see potatoes before you tasted them :)

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    1. Yay, first line edits DONE!!! Mark you an author, my friend!!!

      I love weird colored veggies. They make me laugh.

      We used to sell white everything... squashes, pumpkins, corn, etc. and I'd make up a special display table and label them "Bunnicula Vegetables" for the James Howe Vampire Rabbit (alleged, of course!!!)

      I loved that series of books for my kids!

      Anyway, the purple ones look kind of "Poi" ish, don't they?

      I've never had poi, just heard it described.

      Jan, bless you for your hard work and the stinkin' cold!!!

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    2. Ruthy, you make me blush. ME? An AUTHOR?

      No way. Maybe I'll feel like it when my name is on the cover.

      And I love the Bunnicula books - my children still read them. They're great for that after-exam slump college students get into.

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    3. Oh I love beets. I do eat potatoes in some things but I think because some of the varieties dont taste as good I went of them. We were buying deserie or something and it was yuck. but the one I roasted the other day was ok. But am not a big fan of them anymore.

      But Beetroot/beets I love. The one vegetable I really love.

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  9. Donna, I've never seen them for sale, either, but we live "off the beaten path". The first place to look for different veggies around here is at the Farmer's Market.

    Hey Valerie (roomie extraordinaire!), I'm looking forward to having a garden (next year, maybe?), because I love experimenting with the different varieties. On the potatoes I buy, I go back and forth. I love all of them... Right now I have russets, which I'll use for tonight's dinner.

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    1. Oh, and you know what else I love? Fingerling potatoes. Baby bakers, long, slender, thin (unlike ME) and they'e just the most amazingly delicious oven roasted baby potatoes, skin on. Wonderful!!!

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    2. Ooooh, I have some of those in my pantry, courtesy of my daughter's craving while I was gone!

      I think I know what's for lunch tomorrow...

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  10. I LOVED them! Purple made them even more fun. :) But I have to admit I thought they were blue corn mash at first. :) Then I tasted and realized I was dealing with a potato. :)

    I think my grocery store has these. I need to remember to get some. My kids would get a kick out of the color!

    By the way, Jan, I really, really enjoyed meeting you and spending time with you!

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  11. they look disgusting in the picture but I've been curious to try these sometime - thought maybe I'd like them sliced instead of mashed...now I'm not so sure! it took me a while to get used to mashed sweet potatoes-I'd always had them baked and 'whole'! and Julie I'm with you on the m&m's -they didn't have to take colors away :-( but then I'm still mad at crayola for taking away the midnight blue- that was my fave color as a kid and the reason I splurged on the 'big' 64 ct box(though now I hear they have even more colors than 64!
    btw is that all they fed ya'll? that one dinky plate of food?! I guess it'd been good for my weight watchers program!

    Susanna

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    1. Susanna, I was thinking the same thing! But then I figured it would be the third in a nice long course of dishes, with dessert at the end!

      Once I was at a conference (not writers's) and it was all day from 7AM to 5PM. We got lunch in the middle and it was.... one smal bowl of oreiental chicken salad. So, lots of lettuce, one small sliver of chicken and mandarin oranges.

      Me and the vending machine got to be good friends.

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    2. This is NOT the whole meal!

      Besides that, this is LUNCH - the lighter meal, right?

      If I remember correctly, this meal started out with a salad,then we got the main dish. Dinner rolls were on the side. And to top it off was a fabulous dessert.

      Does anyone remember - was this the same meal where they served Caramel Cheesecake?

      That recipe is coming soon...

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    3. I heard the food was wonderful. Which it should be... but it's always a delightful surprise when it's true, LOL!

      So glad you're all back, though. Love it!

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    4. Jan, I think maybe it was caramel cheesecake day. OH. MY. GOSH. I do believe it was the best cheesecake ever.

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    5. Missy, I'm working on that recipe...I've GOT to have another piece of that deliciousness!

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  12. I never heard of blue potatoes but I'd serve them up if I got my hands on some. Wouldn't they make fun french fries?! The only veggie I'd be wary of trying are yellow tomatoes. That just seems so wrong, you know?!

    I rarely eat at fancy restaurants (I can probably count on one hand the number of times!) and am always amazed at the presentations they manage. Makes me afraid of digging in and toppling everything over onto the pristine white tablecloth!

    I'm reading A Season For Tending by Cindy Woodsmall right now and the heroine, Rhoda, is a gardener. So far I think every scene she's been in has been set in her garden. She has quite the green thumb and reading her story is making me yearn for my own little plot of land to grow fruits and herbs on and start my own home canning business. I'd grow blue potatoes for sure. But not yellow tomatoes!

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    1. Your aversion to yellow tomatoes is so funny, Kav! My grandmother grew them in her garden years ago, and loved to serve the slices with sliced red tomatoes - such a pretty dish, and I don't even like tomatoes :)

      I'm commiserating with you on the garden thing. At least we have a yard and the hope of a garden next year. Do you have a patio or balcony where you can do container gardening?

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    2. I love yellow tomatoes. I didn't realize they were an heirloom variety (at least the ones I've had) but Kav-a-licious, they're quite delicious!

      So good.

      Gardener heroine. I love her already!!!

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    3. I live in a wee little house, Jan that I plan to keep on renting until it falls down around me! Which won't be long judging by the cracks in the foundation and the crumbling stairs. I have a huge flower garden out front but haven't had any success with veggies in the back...too shady or the raccoons eat them or they get strange diseases and rot on the vine. It's really strange. I've had great gardens in other places. I've even tried container gardening -- but no luck. I think the green in my thumb is wearing off. :-(

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  13. Okay, Jan. You have some 'splainin' to do. Why am I a Seeker-villain? What did I ever do to you?

    As for the purple potatoes, my first thought was, "They're either potatoes or poi." I was relieved to find out they were indeed potatoes. Yummy ones, at that.

    Sorry about your cold. I managed to stay healthy after conference this year, but many times I've come down with something right after. Always attributed it to letting myself get worn down.

    Congrats on the edits. I know that feels good.

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    1. See??/ Poi!!!!

      That's the first thing I thought, too.

      Great minds, Mindy!!!

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    2. Mindy, look at that spelling again: Seekervill-I-an, not Seekervill-A-in. Which ever way you spell it, I'm one too :)

      Maybe you stayed healthy this year because you didn't fly. I've never felt so much like a sardine! The only plane with any room was the one from Denver to Dallas. I should have enjoyed it more.

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    3. I bet if it was poi most would have left it unless they were Hawaiian.

      so planes in america are small? I will have several flights next year. Im still getting my head around the fact I will have about 28 or so hours in airports or planes just to get to Atlanta from Adelaide South Australia.

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    4. It depends on how far you're going. I had two short flights - Rapid City to Denver, and then Denver to Dallas. If you fly between major hubs, you'll probably have a larger plane.

      When are you making your trip?

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    5. I leave May 5th and arrive May 5th! Adelaide - Sydney - Dallas - Atlanta. Then on the 11th Chattanooga - Atlanta - Washington DC. then the 19th Washington DC - somewhere then to Spokane where some goodreads friends are having a small retreat with Janet Tronstad and Jillian Hart. then its Spokane - Seattle 2 days later, Then Seattle - Honolulu. Will be in Atlanta on the 6th May to meet a few authors. Im tired just typing it. (or is that lack of sleep). Its 7 months from Friday not that I am counting.

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    6. Oh, that sounds like so much fun, Jenny! Definitely something to look forward to!

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