Product Description

The potato has become so familiar to everyone today - it is the uncontested star on the menu of chefs both great and small - that we tend to forget its history. The potato has survived wars, famines, political intrigue and is certainly the modern-day success story of the food industry.

With its origins in the Andes, the potato was introduced to 16th century Europe by the Spanish and this beautifully illustrated book tell the fascinating story of this nutritious and delicious vegetable before presenting a portrait of 180 different types; from British Queen, first grown in Scotland, to la Ratte, made famous by Joel Robuchon.

Then fifty-three potato-loving chefs enable the reader to discover or rediscover the variety of ways the world's most popular tuber can be enjoyed. Feran Adria's recipe in his inimitable original style is for Potato Puree with Vanilla Sugar; Heston Blumenthal reveals the secret of his perfect Chunky Chips; Thomas Keller presents a Spring Vegetable Salad; Jean-Georges Vongerichten - or Vong to his followers - offers a slowly cooked sable fish, potato noodles with creme fraiche, vodka and caviar and Charlie Trotter amazes with his Russian banana fingerling, New York Red Bliss and Desiree potatoes, a kumomoto oyster emulsion and Inranian Osetra caviar.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #288553 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

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Customer Reviews

A potato tribute
Potato

by Lyndsay and Patrick Mikanowski

Potatoes are not generally viewed by the masses as a delicacy and this staple of many households is given a makeover in this reference book. The photography by Grant Symon is breathtaking and the text leads the reader through the history, growing tips, varieties (potato portraits), and recipes (simple, classic and new).

Some of the recipes (again beautifully illustrated) are a little out of reach for even the most adventurous home cook and a little pretentious for my taste, but perhaps I have missed the point and this compilation of recipes, contributed by a selection of top chefs from around the world, was meant to be consumed by the eye alone?

This criticism aside - I had to buy this tribute to the beloved spud - a loan copy was simply not enough to satisfy me, and it is an inspiration in both the kitchen and garden.

what?
Unlike Egg, its prequelle, I found this book under developed and short on ideas it provided a vast history on potatoes but few sound recipes or presentation ideas.

The lowly spud in splendor

POTATO is a large format book which makes maximum use of the expertise of its three authors. Lindsay Mikanowski is an experienced landscape designer who provided 80 pages of excellent botanical and culinary potato history, including information on your own potato garden. Grant Simon has contributed over 200 wonderful pictures of spuds and dishes made from them; the gallery of 180 different potatoes in a wide variety of colors is particularly beautiful. Patrick Mikanowski was responsible for smuggling potatoes from all over the world into France, planting them and introducing them to famous chefs who made the dishes and contributed more than 50 "guest" recipes.

Patrick is also responsible for philosophy. "The focus of this book is the meeting of an international potato with the chefs of the world. It therefore necessarily reflects contemporary cooking. It is not written in praise of fusion cuisine, rather it puts the case for diffusion cuisine. The potato is universal and belongs to everyone." Clear enough, I suppose, but what do you make of this thought: all cooks "observe, sort and order the natural environment, then adapt their behaviour according to what they learn and surmise [which leads to] a feeling of authenticity"?

The recipes are fun and look beautiful; some of my favorites include:

Heston Blumenthal -- Chunky Chips, 'chips with a hint of hay.'
Jeffrey Steingarten -- a great gratin dauphinois.
Feran Adria -- a dessert Potato Puree with Vanilla Sugar.
Thomas Keller -- a Spring Vegetable Salad.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten -- slowly cooked sable fish, potato noodles with creme fraiche, vodka and caviar.
Alain Passard -- a simple potato in salt crust.
Escoffier's Pomme chatouillard from his great 1902 cookbook -- said to never before have been photographed -- The Escoffier Cookbook and Guide to the Fine Art of Cookery: For Connoisseurs, Chefs, Epicures Complete With 2973 Recipes.

Finally, there are two extraordinary dishes. Charlie Trotter mixes three different potatoes -- Russian banana fingerlings, New York Red Bliss potatoes and Desiree potatoes, and adds a kumomoto oyster emulsion and Inranian Osetra caviar. Jacques Decoret's potato "stick of dynamite" dessert is a mixture of potatoes and sugar rolled into a wafer-thin tube, filled with sweetened potato mousse, decorated with a fuse made out of a potato stick and served with parsley ice cream. Both sound delicious and look beautiful on the page.

This book is worthy of being placed in this series with Egg and Vegetables by 40 Great French Chefs. Many of my friends are amused by the pretentiousness, the "Frenchness" of the book, so much beauty and verbiage over the lowly spud, perhaps.

Robert C. Ross 2008