NOW CLOSED: manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk January Feedback - Love2Shop voucher up for grabs

[AnnMumsnet]

You may know we have recruited 15 Mumsnet Potato Councillors to test potato based recipes for potato website manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk. Each month they are sent a new family favourite recipe potato recipe which can be prepped and on the plate in around 30 minutes. This thread is for their feedback and is also open to the whole MN community.

If you are not an official "Potato Councillor" manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk are offering £50 of Love2Shop vouchers to anyone who either:

~ Would like to add their own twist to this month's test recipes (if so please add it below) or
~ Would like to upload their own family's favourite potato recipe (if so please add it here and/ or on manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk) and then post the link on the thread) or
~ Who has a question about potatoes (if so please ask below and we'll endeavour to get a response from manyfacesofpotatoes - responses also welcome from MN Potato Councillors ).

Everyone who does one of the above will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get £50 of Love2Shop vouchers.

The recipes this month are:

Cottage Pie

Mid Week Roast

Chicken and Potatoes in White Wine and Tarragon sauce

If you are one of the 15 MNers who are trying out potato recipes for the "manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk", please answer the following questions and state the recipe name.

~ How long did it take you to cook the recipe?
~ Will you be cooking it again?
~ Any other general comments about the recipes?
~ Since taking part in this activity have you found anything surprising about potatoes that you were unaware of before?
~ Any other general comments

In addition, the team at manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk say "For 100s of 30 minute recipes or if you would like more information on which varieties of potatoes are best used with specific meals then go to www.manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk. Or, if you're stuck for a mid week recipe, then download the free Quick & Tasty app from iTunes, suitable for iPhone and iPod touch. The app has a fantastic 'what's in my store cupboard?' scroll mechanic so you can match a recipe to what you have in your fridge/cupboard".

Thanks and good luck, MNHQ

Sorry for delay in getting a response - some answers below for you from www.manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk/

Is it OK to eat the black or green bits you sometimes find on a potato once it's been peeled?

~ Potatoes should be thoroughly cleaned before peeling. Ensure the potatoes are rinsed after peeling and any green parts are cut away. If potatoes are mostly green, they should not be consumed. If there are only small areas of green, these can just be cut away, until normal coloured flesh is seen.

My question is: is there a good way to freeze mashed potato that doesn't make it come out yucky. I'd like to be able to freeze some to take out in small quantities and nuke for ds's tea when I'm running short of time/patience.

~ Mashed potato is very easy to freeze. If you find it is coming out gloopy then ensure the potatoes are drained of water properly once boiled and that you haven't used too much milk or butter. Some additional tips when freezing mashed potato are: for convenience and smaller children?s meals, freeze in ice cube trays. Alternatively for larger meals, make into small patties and place on a baking tray and leave in the freezer. Once the patties are frozen you can transfer into a freezer bag. Defrost the patties in the microwave on a high setting. If you are going to be cooking the mashed potato again, for example on top of a shepherd's pie, then defrost in the fridge

babyinacorner - I'll share my recipe (nicked from good food magazine) for double baked potatoes. So you do jacket potatoes, scoop the insides out (after halving them) and carefully put the empty skins on a baking sheet. Then put the potato in a bowl with some milk, horseradish sauce, spring onions, butter, and flaked mackerel fillets (from fridge aisle). Mix that lot up and re fill skins of potatoes. Put some grated cheese on top if you like a grill until golden. De-doga-licious!

Am putting the other questions to the potato team now.

And thanks very much for all the feedback!

Finally had a chance to post pictures of the mid week roast if anybody's interested...

Responses from the team to the questions:
What are the best potatoes to use when you are thinly slicing them over a dish and baking in the oven? i have a lovely recipe for a fish pie done like this and have cooked it twice - the first time was very successful and i did not need to par boil the potatoes, the second time was ruined really because the potatoes took so long to cook and never ended up tasting very nice anyway. thank you.

~ It depends on how you like your potatoes! Use a firmer potato as these will hold their shape more if you parboil them, however if you?d rather have a fluffier 'mash-style' topping then use a flourier potato. Using an all rounder would be ideal as they can be used for just about anything (such as Maris Piper or King Edward) - but really it depends on your taste!

I have a question, or rather, a set of questions.
What makes a potato 'waxy' or 'floury'?

~ Potatoes are classed as waxy or floury because of their "dry matter" - the drier the potato when harvested, the flourier it is, making it great for mash and roasties with fluffy insides.

Can you tell which the potato will be without cooking it? How?

~ Variety information on www.manyfacesofpotatoes.com/uk/potato-varieties also the potato's uses should be marked on the pack - mash, chips, roast are floury, boiling, steaming and salad potatoes are waxy (hold their shape more)

Are different (waxy/floury) potatoes better for different purposes?

~ Yes, see above suggestions and manyfacesofpotatoes.co.uk for usage of different varieties

And what sort are Marfona? Apart from being the best potatoes for everything!

~ Marfona are on the flourier side of the scale, so they are great for mash, baking and roasts

My potatoes this week came with bits of red dye on, mainly where eyes had been trimmed. I'm assuming it's safe to eat, but would like clarification if possible, and to know what it is/ what purpose it serves please? Also would like to know how green and how 'sprouty' they can be before its not safe to eat please.

~ This may be a variety that has red pigment in the skin, such as King Edward or Cara and as such is nothing to worry about. When potatoes go green, it means that they are being stored in the light which discolours them - they should be stored in a dark place. If they do go green then they should not be eaten. With the sprouts, they can be knocked off and the potatoes eaten with no issue.

I've always wondered how much nutrition there is in a potato. I've always been told that the skin is very healthy, is the flesh healthy too?

~ See nutrition chart on www.manyfacesofpotatoes.com/uk/nutrition/potatoes

yeah i think that confirms for me that potatoes are just a bit naff really. no wonder we rarely eat them.

I had Midweek Roast.

~ How long did it take you to cook the recipe?
It took 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.

~ Will you be cooking it again?
Yes. My DH loved it and keeps going on about it - even telling other people about it! He's a right grumpy old man so this is a big deal. I liked it and my 7 year old scoffed his. 4 year old looked at it as if I'd offered him cat vomit for dinner.

~ Any other general comments about the recipes?
This was our favourite one so far, loved the garlicky taste.
Cooking time was just about spot on. I cut my potatoes into fairly small chunks and they were cooked perfectly after half an hour.

I didn't bother to check it or give it a shoogle halfway through and it still turned out perfect. So nice to have a meal I can just bung in the oven and then not have to do anything until the timer goes off.

~ Since taking part in this activity have you found anything surprising about potatoes that you were unaware of before?

zipzap, love your pictures of all the meals!

sorry for being so late with this month's recipe - have chronic morning sickness, and cooking has not been top of me agenda recently

anyway, we had the Cottage pie. I often make a shepherd's/cottage pie for my two anyway - dd1 loves it, dd2 hates it (doesn't like mash).

still, I tried.

things I did slightly differently (sorry, but as a multiple food intolerant household, som things are not possible):

no ketchup
no stock
no milk.

now to answe rthe proper questions :

~ How long did it take you to cook the recipe?

it did take longer than the 30 mins, and this is with me being well ised to doign a similar recipe. probably not more than 45 mins, though.

~ Will you be cooking it again?

not in this variation, probably not. it went down ok (well, dd2 ate the beef, and nibbled some mash, as always) but it just didn't taste 'right' to me. it was nice enough, but not 'my' shepherd's pie iykwim.

~ Any other general comments about the recipes?

as above, I had to vary it slightly to fit in with our dietary needs. milk is out (and soya milk revolting - dd1 won't touch it) and I used a dairy free spread (Pure) instead of butter to mash with, as I always do. I cannot use shop bought stock, for a variety of dietary reasons (dd1 has big food issues), and wasn't up to making my own for this, sorry.

the recipe was nice enough (I might be underplaying it a bit, but really don't fancy any food right now), but I prefer mine (I put baked beans in - yes I know it sounds revolting, but it really works).

~ Since taking part in this activity have you found anything surprising about potatoes that you were unaware of before?

no, nothing new.

~ Any other general comments

to me, cottage pie is a 'standard' potato dish, and not somehting I would have expected in a 'try somehting new with potatoes' way. but I guess that is just because it is a recipe I grew up eating, and it is a staple in our household anyway.

Hi all - AnnMumsnet's on hols this week so I'm just popping in to tell you that we've done this month's prize draw and the winner is:

BlastOff

Congratulations - you've won a £50 Love2Shop voucher! I'll PM you to get your details for sending the voucher.

I had the cottage Pie recipe this month, I also gave birth to a small boy, hence super late feedback!

~ How long did it take you to cook the recipe?

It took me a lot longer, but for the simple reason that I hate undrcooked mince, so tend to simmer it for an hour or so. So an hour, with around 10 minutes for preparation.

~ Will you be cooking it again?

Yes, its a nice recipe, cottage pie is quite a regular feature on our weekly menu anyway, and this one was very tasty. Completely demolished by everyone!

~ Any other general comments about the recipes?

I've been very impressed with the simplicity of the recipes so far, I do tend t think of potatoes as being a bit of a faff compared with rice/noodles/pasta etc, but I've been using them more since I started the recipes.

~ Since taking part in this activity have you found anything surprising about potatoes that you were unaware of before?
~ Any other general comments

I have a potato question....

How many potatoes would I need to make 1l of Vodka?!

Not a tester but variation on cottage pie is cheesy mash sweet potato.

Are we due another recipe soon?

EttiKetti - yes you are - should be with you this week (with a choice of what to cook!)

I was wondering where the recipe was too

Ooh a choice....you are really spoiling us!!