Pictured: Potato pizza puffs. Photo by: Potatoes USA
The humble potato is getting a makeover as culinary experts work to move the vegetable from a simple side dish to the center of the plate.
At the “Spud Lab” in Denver, RJ Harvey, Culinary Director for Potatoes USA, is leading a movement to transform how major food brands, universities, and even the medical community view the potato.
The Spud Lab has identified key functional benefits of potatoes that go beyond flavor. In baked goods, potatoes improve moisture retention and shelf life, while in savory applications, they serve as “allergen solves.” For example, potatoes provide creaminess without dairy or thicken soups without flour (gluten).
Beyond the kitchen, Harvey focuses on the economic realities of the food service industry. By working with volume drivers like Olive Garden, Panera, and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, the team demonstrates how potatoes can reduce both food and labor costs.
“Between food costs and labor costs, those are the two biggest impact drivers of helping a food service business thrive,” Harvey tells Mid-West Farm Report. “If we can get them to reduce those two factions, then that’s really, really great for potatoes, and it gets them to want to put more potatoes on their menu.”
Harvey also serves as a Certified Culinary Medicine Specialist, working to bridge the gap in nutrition education for health care professionals. The Spud Lab has become the first teaching kitchen outside of a major hospital to deliver a culinary medicine curriculum, highlighting the potato’s role in preventative health for conditions like type 2 diabetes and celiac disease.
Regardless of whether the audience is a corporate chef or a health care provider, the mission remains to showcase the versatility of the vegetable.
“Potatoes don’t have to fit on the side dish part of the plate,” Harvey says. “They can be moved to the center of the plate, or they can be used across day parts — breakfast, lunch, dinner, even snack and beverage occasions.”
See the recipes: https://potatogoodness.com/potato-recipes/
