Consider the potato. 

The typical potato is not all that pretty. They can be beige and lumpy, dusty and speckled, and on top of that, they even sprout alien-like tentacles. Further, no one really knows what to make of the potato. Is it a vegetable, or so starchy that we should really consider it a grain? 

It’s time for answers. The Outside/In team ventures into the potato patch and presents three stories on this “fifth most important crop worldwide.” 

Part 1: An artist vaults the humble potato to luxury status.

Part 2: A deliberation on the potato’s true place in the food pyramid – or, that is, on “MyPlate.”

Part 3: When his mom was diagnosed with cancer, producer Felix Poon’s dad found a way to help her: fresh-squeezed potato juice. 

Featuring Laila Gohar, Kristina Peterson, and Paul Poon.

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LINKS

Laila Gohar wrote about her potato party, and the Marie-Antoinette-era rebrand of the potato, in her column for the Financial Times. 

For more details on the French pharmacist who transformed the potato’s image, check out this Atlas Obscura piece.

For a vinegary and vegetable-forward potato salad, Justine recommends this recipe from the great Deb Perelman.

Taylor recommends these vegan Bombay potatoes and peas (this is the closest recipe he could find online to the book recipe he uses at home).

Felix recommends trying Sichuan stir-fried potatoes from an authentic Sichuan Chinese restaurant if you haven’t had it before, and then give this Woks of Life recipe a try.

If you find yourself near the U.S.-Mexico border, Nate recommends you try some carne asada fries. Here’s a good recipe if you want to try them at home. 

CREDITS

Host: Nate Hegyi

Reported and produced by Nate Hegyi, Justine Paradis, and Felix Poon

Mixed by Nate Hegyi, Justine Paradis, and Felix Poon.

Editing by Executive Producer Taylor Quimby

Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR’s Director of On-Demand Audio

Our intern is Catherine Hurley.

Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Patrick Patrikios.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public RadioSubmit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837).

Episode art courtesy of Laila Gohar.