With less than 24 until Super Bowl kick-off time, the buzz is mounting about what surprises are in store with the commercials this year. This year, instead of keeping a mental scorecard of your favorite ads, try visiting Spotbowl.com, download an official scorecard and then submit your final tally. Check back post-game to see the top 10 favorite Super Bowl commercials as voted on by viewers like you. Oh, and did I mention that that Spotbowl.com also has an awesome compilation of Super Bowl recipes, including a few spudly dishes from the USPB, like Quick & Healthy Baked Fries?

February 6th, 2010 | Comment on this.
Tags: baked fries · healthy fries · healthy super bowl recipe · how to make healthy french fries · Pavone's spotbowl · quick and healthy baked fries · spotbowl.com · super bowl commercials · super bowl recipe · United States Potato Board · vote on super bowl commercials

Nachos…without chips? Why not? In fact, this dish looks so delicious I’m thinking of creating this easy recipe for my own Super Bowl gathering. The best part? These fresh oven-crisped taters are much better for you than the traditional tortilla chips used on nachos. But remember – it’s the toppings that really pack on the extra calories and fat to any dish, so choose wisely. For example, items like salsa, chives, green chilies and black beans pump up the flavor without adding fat.

Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes
1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning blend
1 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
¼ cup rinsed and drained canned black beans
¼ cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup sliced black olives
¼ cup sliced green onions
3 tablespoons canned diced green chiles
Salsa, guacamole and sour cream (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Place potatoes into a medium size bowl with the oil, garlic salt and Mexican seasoning.  Stir well to coat potatoes with oil and seasonings. Transfer to a large baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Bake for 25 to 30  minutes, stirring several times, until crisp and golden brown. Top with cheese, beans, tomatoes, olives, onions and chiles. Bake for 5 minutes more to melt cheese. Serve with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Per serving: 308 calories, 13 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 16 g total fat, 32 mg cholesterol, 659 mg sodium, 5 g fiber, 37 mg Vitamin C, 913 mg potassium.

February 2nd, 2010 | 2 Comments
Tags: healthy nacho recipe · nachos · potato nacho recipe · Potato Nachos · Potato Recipe · potato super bowl recipe · super bowl recipe · United States Potato Board

With less than one week until the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints play in Super Bowl XLIV, it’s time to start thinking about what’s most important on game day: the food! This week I’ll share the USPB’s best Super Bowl-worthy potato recipes starting with – you guessed it – potato skins!

The Food Network has taken game day spuds one step further by creating recipes for special potato skin toppings for each team in the NFL! So what’s a Colt’s fan to top their potato skins with? Fried Pork, according to the Food Network! And the Saints? Muffuletta of course! (Wondering what muffuletta is? It’s a traditional sandwich in New Orleans, filled with filled with Italian salami, olive salad, cheese, Italian ham and freshly minced garlic).To see what the suggested potato skin topping is for your team click here!

Here’s the USPB’s recipe for Cheesy Potato Skins with Sundried Tomatoes. With just 2 grams of fat per serving and a healthy does of potassium, this is a game day snack you don’t have to feel guilty about!

Here’s a new take on an old classic. Fontina and Mozzarella stand in for cheddar, and sun-dried tomatoes and parsley add a fresh touch. Perfect pick up food for your next party.

4          medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4       cup fat free sour cream
2          ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
2          ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/3       cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4       cup sliced green onion tops
2          tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake potatoes 50 minutes, or until tender. Let cool. Cut each potato in half. With a spoon, scoop out pulp leaving 1/4-inch of potato in each half. Cut each half in half again to form quarters. Season with salt and pepper.  Bake potato quarters for 15 minutes. (This will crisp them up so that they can be picked up easily.) Mash 1 cup potato pulp with a potato masher (save remaining pulp for a later use). Stir in the sour cream, cheeses, tomatoes, green onions and parsley. Mixture will be sticky and hold together. With your hands, divide the mixture evenly between the potato skins, pressing the mixture into the skins. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper and bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Yield: 16 stuffed potato skins.

Nutrients per serving: 114 calories, 4 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate, 2 g total fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 333 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 8 mg vitamin C, 244 mg potassium.

February 1st, 2010 | 3 Comments
Tags: food network · healthy potato skins recipe · indianapolis colts potato skins · new orleans saints potato skins · NFL potato skins · potato skins recipe · super bowl potato skins · super bowl recipe · United States Potato Board

I’m excited to share that in the last two days THREE new Tastemaker videos have been posted to the Potato Goodness YouTube channel. Here’s a recap of the new additions and links to view. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite Tastemaker videos by clicking the stars to the left side underneath the video player in YouTube. If this leaves you wanting more, then hopefully you’re heading to Blissdom next week because all 9 Tastemakers will be participating in a live finale on Friday night at the Opryland Hotel! To see all the details and RSVP, follow this link: http://event.pingg.com/TastemakerBlissdom

Click here to watch Melanie S. from Mel A Dramatic Mommy prepare Shepherd’s Pie in her Challenge #2 video for “Nutrition on a Budget”

Click here to watch Melanie E. make Cheesy Mashed Potatoes in her Challenge #3 video for “Nutrition in a Time Crunch”

Click here to watch Lindsey from Rock ‘n Roll Mama make “Taters in Ten” for her Challenge #3 video for “Nutrition in a Time Crunch”

January 27th, 2010 | Comment on this.
Tags: #tastemaker · blissdom · cheesy mashed potatoes · fast potato recipes · microwave potatoes · opryland hotel · Shepherd's Pie · United States Potato Board

You may have heard that Oprah Winfrey has been quoted as saying, “My idea of heaven is a great big baked potato and someone to share it with.” Much like Oprah, for many of us, potatoes are a classic comfort food right up there with mac ‘n cheese, tomato or chicken noodle soup or fresh baked brownies. But how to make your comfort food into a healthy meal? Follow this link to see healthy versions of classic potato dishes including Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes and Oven Fries. Better yet, visit www.potatogoodness.com/recipes and search our database of healthy potato recipes. In the meantime, here’s the USPB’s recipe for Quick & Healthy Fries plus a variation for Garlic Fries:

Baked Fries

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 24 minutes total
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Cost per serving: $.56

Ingredients:
Olive oil cooking spray
1 1/2 lbs. Russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground or cracked black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F and spray a large baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Place whole potatoes (do not poke) into microwave-safe dish. Cover dish. (If covering dish with plastic wrap, poke small hole in plastic.) Microwave on HIGH for 3 to 4 minutes depending on strength of microwave. Use oven mitts to remove dish from microwave; carefully remove cover from dish due to steam build-up and let cool. Cut each potato into 8 wedges. Place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil; spread in a single layer on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Spray with olive oil cooking spray, turn wedges and spray again. Bake for 10 minutes more or until fries are golden brown and spray once more. Mash together rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl with the back of a spoon; sprinkle over cooked potatoes and toss well to coat. Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving with skins:
Calories: 170, Fat: 3.5g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 300mg, Potassium: 716mg, Carbohydrates: 31g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Protein: 4g, Vitamin A: 0%, Vitamin C: 60%, Calcium: 2%, Iron: 8%

Variation: Baked Garlic Fries

Omit rosemary and stir 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic into baked fries; cook for a minute or 2 more.

January 26th, 2010 | 3 Comments