source: Grandma’s Kitchen: Treasured Family Recipes
The Potato
The potato (/pəˈteɪtoʊ/) is a starchy root vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are tubers of the plant Solanum tuberosum, a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United States to southern Chile. Genetic studies show that the cultivated potato has a single origin, in the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia. Potatoes were domesticated there about 7,000–10,000 years ago from a species in the S. brevicaule complex. Many varieties of the potato are cultivated in the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous.
Potatoes Around The World
The Spanish introduced potatoes to Europe in the second half of the 16th century from the Americas. They are a staple food in many parts of the world and an integral part of much of the world’s food supply. Following millennia of selective breeding, there are now over 5,000 different varieties of potatoes. The potato remains an essential crop in Europe, especially Northern and Eastern Europe, where per capita production is still the highest in the world, while the most rapid expansion in production during the 21st century was in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world production as of 2021.
Like the tomato and the nightshade, the potato is in the genus Solanum; the aerial parts of the potato contain the toxin solanine. Normal potato tubers that have been grown and stored properly produce glycoalkaloids in negligible amounts, but, if sprouts and potato skins are exposed to light, tubers can become toxic. (Wikipedia)
Ingredients
12 small new potatoes
4 teaspoons butter
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley or 1 and 1/3 teaspoons dried chives
fresh parsley sprigs, optional for garnish
Directions
To make these Herbed New Potatoes, start by peeling a 1/2-inch strip around the center of each potato and immediately place the potatoes in a medium saucepan of cold water.
Add enough water to the saucepan to cover the potatoes by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until the potatoes are easily pierced by a fork but firm, about 20 minutes; drain. Do not overcook. Cover to keep warm.
Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl—microwave on high until melted, about 5 to 10 seconds. Stir in minced parsley and chives. Pour the butter mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat.
Spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl. Garnish with sprigs of parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Variation for Herbed New Potatoes
For variety, sprinkle with chopped cooked bacon and/or finely minced green onions.
Also, try; Pan-Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and Pears
Grandma’s Secrets
One of the handiest tools in grandma’s kitchen was her kitchen shears. She snipped parsley and chives in a flash and also made short work of green onions, even those that weren’t so crisp any longer. Her early shears looked like scissors; a later pair was spring-loaded and had heavy-duty serrated blades and an easy-to-grip handle.