Mashed Potato Substitutes

[Lilija]

Good reason! Did the greyness affect the flavor?

[RAHiggins1]

Good reason!  Did the greyness affect the flavor?

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Dunno! I 86'd it and made more.

[Lilija]

I'd have tried it in the name of science. Who knows, you could have had an entry for the Dinner II thread.

[RAHiggins1]

I'd have tried it in the name of science.  Who knows, you could have had an entry for the Dinner II thread.

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I'd prefer to not eat aluminum residue if I can help it.

I can still submit it to dinner II!

[hazardnc]

My husband made a wonderful parsley root puree on New Year's Eve. I'd never tasted the stuff before. It's a unique but very tasty root that is low in carbs and loaded with minerals.

[dockhl]

What is it?

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Reading is fundamental!

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Forgive me, but it seems like in reading the thread there were many suggestions other than cauliflower alone. Don't be snippy.

[RAHiggins1]

What is it?

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Reading is fundamental!

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Forgive me, but it seems like in reading the thread there were many suggestions other than cauliflower alone. Don't be snippy.

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My apologies at a poor attempt at humor. I will edit it.

[Carlovski]

I can't imagine there is more than a few % difference in starch content between potato varieties. If it was up to 20% you could easily replicate by just having 20% less mash anyway!

There is one way to reduce the amount of starch in mashed potatoes - use Joel Robuchon's recipe, as it is about 50% butter that's halved the carbs in one stroke.

[RAHiggins1]

I can't imagine there is more than a few % difference in starch content between potato varieties. If it was up to 20% you could easily replicate by just having 20% less mash anyway!

There is one way to reduce the amount of starch in mashed potatoes - use Joel Robuchon's recipe, as it is about 50% butter that's halved the carbs in one stroke.

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ROFL! Unfortunately(or fortunately!) I'm 10.5 years out of a major coronary event and 50% butter is definitely a no can do.

I did however use butter in the cauliflower I made vs. the olive oil in the recipe.

[moreace01]

ROFL! Unfortunately(or fortunately!) I'm 10.5 years out of a major coronary event and 50% butter is definitely a no can do.

I did however use butter in the cauliflower I made vs. the olive oil in the recipe.

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I was going to add that I throw in some cream cheese with my mashed cauliflower to give it a thicker texture (as some pp mentioned the thin consistency of mashed cauliflower). Not sure if that would be against your diet or not.

[RAHiggins1]

ROFL! Unfortunately(or fortunately!) I'm 10.5 years out of a major coronary event and 50% butter is definitely a no can do.

I did however use butter in the cauliflower I made vs. the olive oil in the recipe.

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I was going to add that I throw in some cream cheese with my mashed cauliflower to give it a thicker texture (as some pp mentioned the thin consistency of mashed cauliflower). Not sure if that would be against your diet or not.

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I used grated parmesan to give it more body. It came out good, and could also masquerade as a risotto if left course and cooked with chicken stock and mushrooms with parmesan too, of course.

Now, I'm wondering what saffron would do to the flavor.

Edited January 9, 2008 by RAHiggins1 (log)

[Lindacakes]

Mixing cauliflower and potato in a mash is an old Weight Watchers trick. The dryness of the potato sucks up some of the liquid in the cauliflower.

It doesn't get rid of your potato starch, but it's less potato calories.

I think roasted cauliflower itself is a good potato substitute. The carmelization ever so slightly mimics that potato jacket flavor us spud lovers crave.

[msacuisine]

Hi RAHiggins! Glad to see this thread. Our dieting goals and strategies seem to be right in line with one another--right down to starting and ideal weight! Same with our desire not to allow the need for weight loss to compromise culinary quality and variety. So I look forward to exchanging ideas with you.

Are you following a Ketogenic strategy (like Adkins)? Or an Insulin Response strategy (like the Zone)? I am doing a modified Zone--reduced starch and sugar, hi-veg resulting in moderate carb, moderate protein, and moderate (mostly monosaturated) fat diet for well-controlled insulin response.

I am just starting with my recipe mod experiments, but one of the key strategies I intend to adopt is Silken Tofu, perhaps thinned with soy milk or stock, as a cream replacement. Perhaps it could be used in the cauliflower puree to achieve a creamier consistency. Here is the manufacturer website with lots of recipes: www.morinu.com.

Most root veg is high in starch, but not all starch is created equal. There is a big difference in Glycemic Index among them. Sweet potatoes/yams are particularly good in this way.

This is slightly off-topic, but here is a sight I have found very useful--www.nutritiondata.com Their pantry feature allows you to enter recipes, menus, and menu plans and analyze them on a variety of measures. It is a great way to balance a recipe to make sure you are meeting you dietary objective.

Good luck with the diet!

Michael

[Rebecca263]

Cauliflower is great, but I also discovered that broccoli AND string beans both lend themselves to a mashing, after you roast them for a good long while.

[paulraphael]

Pureed celeriac is my new favorite.

But the first question is why avoid the starch? If it's a diabetic issue I wouldn't worry ... mashed potatoes have a very low glycemic index if made with a reasonable (or unreasonable) amount of butter.

[lucylou95816]

check out the roasted cauliflower recipe on the recipegullet. It's very good, I make it all the time. Last night I made mashed cauliflower and added some horseradish, and sour cream. It was very good. I am happy that I have an almost "potato" in the cauliflower.

[KLwood]

Try this one from the current isue of Bon Appetit Cauliflower Steaks With Cauliflower Puree this one was a big hit, although that recipe doesnt have any Salt in it- I added salt to taste and some Microplaned Garlic to the puree, but Curry would probablly be nice as well.

[RAHiggins1]

Try this one from the current isue of Bon Appetit  Cauliflower Steaks With Cauliflower Puree    this one was a big hit, although that recipe doesnt have any Salt in it- I added salt to taste and some Microplaned Garlic to the puree, but Curry would probablly be nice as well.

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That does look good, but I'm in love with the taste of cauliflower and parmesan and would encrust the steaks in it before searing. You are right though, some salt is required.

[ChristinaM]

Hello, I'm new here and your potato question piqued my curiosity as I was sure I had heard of a very low-starch potato so I've been hunting around. There is a new variety available here in the UK (not sure where else yet) called 'Mayan Gold', low starch and very good for mash. There are two other varieties I can find which may be of interest: Russian Banana (described as very low starch) and Purple Viking (described as no starch). They sound like heirloom/curiosity varieties but might be worth seeking out.

[RAHiggins1]

Hello, I'm new here and your potato question piqued my curiosity as I was sure I had heard of a very low-starch potato so I've been hunting around. There is a new variety available here in the UK (not sure where else yet) called 'Mayan Gold', low starch and very good for mash. There are two other varieties I can find which may be of interest: Russian Banana (described as very low starch) and Purple Viking (described as no starch). They sound like heirloom/curiosity varieties but might be worth seeking out.

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I looked up the Mayan Gold's I remember hearing of them, I think on the Fword or some other Ramsay TV production. If they are exported to here, I'd bet they are as hard to come by as a white truffle. The Russian Bananas are available here, the Purple Vikings are as well, but they are not cheap. I could not find anything to prove or disprove the amount of starch content.

In my searches of these varieties, I stumbled across this page http://www.starch.dk/isi/starch/tm5www-potato.htm

Which convinces me that A) All potatos are probably not equal on their starch content (note the chart labeled "Determination of starch content in potatoes"),

and B) there most likely is a way to "leech" the starch from the potato making it more acceptable to a lower starch diet.

I think I shall turn my attention to soaking and dehydrating potatos as a way to lower the starch but not eliminate it.

Edited January 17, 2008 by RAHiggins1 (log)

[RAHiggins1]

After further research, I am glad to say that http://www.answers.com/topic/potato?cat=health

has provided all I ever wanted to know about the potato. (Escpecially the information provided from wikipedia which I shall quote here;

"Nutritionally, potatoes are best known for their carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). Starch is the predominant form of carbohydrate found in potatoes. A small but significant portion of the starch in potatoes is resistant to enzymatic digestion in the stomach and small intestine and, thus, reaches the large intestine essentially intact. This resistant starch is considered to have similar physiological effects and health benefits of fiber (e.g., provide bulk, offer protection against colon cancer, improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lower plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, increase satiety, and possibly even reduce fat storage) (Cummings et al. 1996; Hylla et al 1998; Raban et al. 1994). The amount of resistant starch found in potatoes is highly dependent upon preparation methods. Cooking and then cooling potatoes significantly increases resistant starch. For example, cooked potato starch contains about 7% resistant starch, which increases to about 13% upon cooling (Englyst et al. 1992)."

So, I have reached a some conclusions.

Potatoes density determines how much starch is in the potato.

New potatoes contain less starch because they have not yet converted their sugar to starch.

Boiling potatoes and allowing them to cool converts a good portion of the starch to enzyme resistant starch which has a positive fiber like benefit.

Sweet potatoes are not potatoes.

I can soak, then boil new potatoes of a fingerling variety, allow them to cool, mash and reheat them to make a healthier puree.

Mixing them with cauliflower will further reduce the starch content and tastes good too.

[Jenni]

I am pretty sure jerusalem artichokes do not contain starch, and can be pureed quite well also.

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1/2 cup Jerusalem artichoke has about 13 grams of carbohydrate, which is about the same as potato. I'm sure some of that is fiber (indigestible starch)....

ETA: Just looked it up- 1/2 cup sliced raw Jerusalem artichoke has a little over 1 g of fiber.

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Jerusalem artichoke would actually be a good suggestion. They are much lower in calories than potatoes, and some of their carbohydrate content is made up of inulin, which is indigestable and thus does not provide energy. It also has prebiotic qualities.

As for sweet potatoes which someone else mentioned, they are tasty and very nutritious but are higher in calories than potatoes, therefore on a weightloss diet you will need to be careful how much of them you eat.

[Toufas]

i think polenta is out of the picture for you?

[Jenni]

^^^

Almost definitely, I would say! I think the OP is looking for foods that are lower in carbs than potatoes, and it also sounds to me like they should be lower in calories. Don't think polenta would be any good here.

[Sony]

I am pretty sure jerusalem artichokes do not contain starch, and can be pureed quite well also.

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1/2 cup Jerusalem artichoke has about 13 grams of carbohydrate, which is about the same as potato. I'm sure some of that is fiber (indigestible starch)....

ETA: Just looked it up- 1/2 cup sliced raw Jerusalem artichoke has a little over 1 g of fiber.

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Jerusalem artichoke would actually be a good suggestion. They are much lower in calories than potatoes, and some of their carbohydrate content is made up of inulin, which is indigestable and thus does not provide energy. It also has prebiotic qualities.

As for sweet potatoes which someone else mentioned, they are tasty and very nutritious but are higher in calories than potatoes, therefore on a weightloss diet you will need to be careful how much of them you eat.

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The info I'm looking at has Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes at approximately the same calorie density:

1/2 cup raw potatoes (with skin)

1/2 cup raw Jerusalem artichoke

Just to clarify, "fiber" in general consists of the types of carbohydrate that are indigestible- inulin is a specific type of soluble fiber, but any type of soluble or insoluble fiber is indigestible, unless I'm mistaken......Though it is worth noting that soluble fiber in particular is ideal for maintaining ideal blood sugar levels, while insoluble fiber is more useful as a bulking agent for stools.

Any idea if there is a nutrition database that breaks down the fiber content of foods beyond simply "soluble" and "insoluble"?