You say potato, I say batata.
Our local Giant had a whole setup of natural plant-based foods I’d not heard of, so I decided to pick out some batatas, take them home and research what I should make with them.
It turns out that batata is the Portuguese word for potato. Batata has been adapted by other languages as the standard term, and are popular in Cuban dishes. Related to a sweet potato, the batatas I picked up were not yellow or golden. When I sliced them, they were very white and starchy, denser inside than our average potato.
After looking at a few recipes online, I decided to make a version of home fries inspired by this Lebanese Barrate Harra recipe. I was just playing in the kitchen, so I used what I had on hand and I think you can easily modify it based on your tastes.
Because of the starchiness, I thought I should steam the cut cubes for 20 minutes, but after just 10 they softened up nicely. I removed them and placed them in a bowl. They tasted really good, chestnutty and a bit sweet, though not as sweet as a sweet potato or yam. I heated some olive oil in a pan and chopped up a bit of onion and a few slivers of garlic. I added in pinches of cayenne pepper, coriander, pepper and salt. I had a long hot pepper so I sliced just a few fine pieces and dropped it in the oil. After another two minutes, I tossed in the batatas and stirred occasionally until they reheated.
The result was a type of sweet home fries. I will definitely eat them with pancakes or french toast. Sweeter and nuttier than regular potato fries, they made for a filling snack. Just like potatoes, batatas can be mashed, baked, boiled or sauteed.
After this experiment, I picked up another batata later in the week and added it to my Butternut Squash Soup. I cubed the batata and threw it into the vegetable stock with the squash, onions and garlic until it softened, then pureed it. It was a nice change to the texture if you enjoy experimenting with soups.
Next time you’re in the store, pick up something new and look up a few recipe ideas. You might just find the next batata for your potato.
- Photos: Jim Breslin
