Today is National Potato Day. Potatoes can be fried, baked or boiled to create some amazingly delicious dished. But did you know that potatoes are environmentally friendly and easy to grow? Yet we rarely give our starchy friend a second thought.
I can remember growing our own red potatoes. Potatoes are cheap, requiring very little fertilizer in order to thrive. If you don’t heap on things like butter, or eat them fried every time, potatoes are actually good for you. I can remember as a kid we carved potatoes and used them to create stamp art.
Potatoes flew with the space shuttle, Columbia, in 1995. It marked the first time any food was grown in space. While potatoes may be synonymous with the Irish, the truth is potatoes were grown in the Andes mountains for centuries before Europeans ever set foot in the new world.
My favorite “dip” for French Fries is a blend of mayonnaise and ketchup. I’ve even been known to dip potato chips in mayonnaise. Oh hells bells, I like mayonnaise. Where others will use ketchup (such as on a burger) I’ll reach for the mayo. So potatoes rubbed in mayonnaise were right up my alley – perfect for National Potato Day.
Ranch Potato Wedges
3 large Baking Potatoes
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Cider Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Ranch Dressing Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
Parsley Flakes
Ranch Dressing
Heat oven to 375-degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, spray foil with cooking spray and set aside.
Wash and dry potatoes. Cut each potato into 6 wedges and pat dry with paper towel.
In a bowl, mix mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic powder, ranch powder, salt, and black pepper well.
Roll up your sleeves and use your hands to coat all sides of the potato wedges with the mayonnaise mixture.
Place potato wedges into the heated oven to bake. Roast for about 45 minutes, shaking the pan for even browning about half-way through.
Transfer potatoes to a serving platter. Sprinkle with parsley flakes for a bit of color. Serve with a small bowl of ranch dressing as a dip.
Today is also America Beer Day. While I’m not a fan of beer, American or otherwise, I can get behind serving up a big, juicy burger, these awesome fries and a tall, cold draft. Enjoy!
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 
My husband’s fondness for potatoes in almost any form is near legendary, and my father was from Maine. Need I say more? . I especially love new potatoes–for several years in my adult life, we were able to dig them up and take them literally from the garden to the table. So delicious! And hell’s bells (love that old-fashioned expression), I’m with you on the mayo, Rosemarie.
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You are so a gal after my own heart. We must have been sisters in another life.
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Awww. My mother used to say it on those rare occasions when she felt really pushed!
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Blending food, history and writing and tying it all up so neatly!
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing the recipes!
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Thank you – glad you enjoyed it.
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