Page 186 - index

produce on the menu
The Power Of Potatoes
PBY AMY MYRDAL MILLER
otatoes are among the top-three selling vegetables in both retail and foodservice. Tomatoes and onions are the other two. What makes potatoes so powerful and popular? Their in-
credible versatility is one reason. They can be prepared in endless ways, paired with a myriad of avors and presented on menus in ways that make the familiar exotic, exciting
and new.
Facebook followers of chef RJ Harvey, the global marketing manager for Potatoes USA, applaud his incredible creativity in present- ing potatoes in new ways. Chef RJ travels the world, exploring food cultures that give him inspiration in his test kitchen for plant-for- ward menu items to test with audiences here in the United States. Here are two recent po- tato innovation projects he presented online, inspired by Middle Eastern and South East Asian foods and avor: Lebanese Potato Sha- warma with pickled onions, Labneh Tzatziki, and tomato, Feta and mint; and Pho-Tato Noodle Bowl with potato noodles, Kombu Dashi broth, Shiitake bacon, Shanghai baby bok choi, black garlic oil, shaved yellow on- ion, coriander, and Thai basil.
According to foodservice market research rm Datassential, today potatoes appear on the menus of 3 out of 4 restaurants in the United States. When Datassential asks din- ers about their experiences with potatoes in restaurants, potatoes rank No. 1 among 312 fruits and vegetables.
Potatoes are the most tried of produce items, with 97 percent of consumers saying they’ve tried potatoes on a menu at least once (who are the 3 percent who’ve never eaten a potato-based item in a restaurant, I wonder), and 64 percent say they’ve tried potatoes multiple times.
In terms of af nity, nearly 6 out of 10 din-
ers say they love potatoes. The only fruit or vegetable more loved by consumers is strawberries.
Datassential analysts anticipate potatoes’ menu penetration to increase by 2.3 percent over the next ve years. What’s driving this growth? Innovation in menu language, inspiration from world cuisines, and perfect pairings of potatoes with sauces and dips are starting to appear on menus in ne dining restaurants.
Menu language is a critically important factor for success of new menu items. The name and descriptors must evoke a positive emo-
186 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
tional response. Powerfully appealing language, paired with the right photo, can nearly guarantee success for a new menu item. Yet, sometimes, the simplest effort can gain traction quickly. Fine din- ing restaurants are having success with calling French fries “pomme frites,” using an exotic name to make the ordinary extraordinary in
an upscale dining environment.
Inspiration from world cuisines is seen in
mentions of potato galettes and croquettes (from France), papa a la huancaina (from Peru), tortilla espanola and patatas bravas (from Spain), pierogi (from Central Europe), and poutine (from Quebec, Canada).
Perfect pairings of potatoes with other ingredients range from the mundane to the masterful. A squeeze of lime on oven-roasted or deep-fat fried potatoes is an easy way to punch up avor. Trendy restaurants are see- ing success with frying French fries in duck fat and pairing potatoes with protein-rich foods such as eggs, pulled pork, and bris- ket, and using curries and salsas to intensify avors and aromas.
Surprisingly, very little is happening with new potato varieties. Fingerling and Red Bliss are the only two varieties gaining traction. There are de nitely opportunities to intro- duce chefs and diners to more potato variet- ies, especially among younger diners eager to discover the next great thing for which they can claim social media bragging rights.
Does this mean potatoes presented in fa- miliar ways will fade away? That’s not likely. Consumers are comforted by the fact they can nd baked potatoes, potato chips, potato skins and potato salad just about anywhere. But they are also excited to discover potatoes presented in new ways on American menus. Combining inspiration from world cuisines with innovation from talented culinary pro-
fessionals, there are endless opportunities to present the power of potatoes on American menus. pb
Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, FAND is a farmer’s daughter from North Dakota, award-winning dietitian, culinary nutrition expert, and founder and president of Farmer’s Daughter Consulting, Inc. She is the director of The Culinary Institute of America Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative and a consul- tant for the Produce for Better Health Foundation. You can learn more about her business at www.farmersdaughterconsulting.com, and you can follow her insights on food and avor on Twitter @AmyMyrdalMiller
Papa a la huancaina
Consumers are comforted by the fact they can nd
baked potatoes, potato chips, potato skins and potato salad just about anywhere. But they are also excited to discover potatoes presented in
new ways on American menus.