Root vegetables are my go to starch when I’m not in the mood for rice or pasta. I buy a variety of potato simply because I love variety and it makes the meal all the more delectable. On any given day, my fruit basket will be loaded with sweet yams, sweet potato (boniato), purple potatoes, yukon gold and idaho potatoes. The contrasting colors turns me on.  To be honest great food….REAL FOOD, earth food, d’luscious food with big bold flavors turns me on. It’s the truth and I won’t deny it. If you make the mistake by telling me that something in my food, may be processed; stand back and observe my reaction. You may receive a blank stare or you may get that look of fear or disappointment.

I wanna eat my food without worrying about side effects (which for me is pain from endometriosis each month).  What that means, is you will not find any boxes of potatoes or potato flakes or whatever you may call it. I mean….is it that hard to peel a potato? Matter of fact. I don’t peel my potatoes….anymore. The skin is loaded with nutrients and I love the taste of the combined texture of flesh and skin of the potato.

Here’s a tip: When boiling potatoes, don’t peel them. Wash and scrub them, then add it to COLD water. Yes place the potatoes and water on the stove at the same time. Don’t bring the water to a boil, then add potato, okay. It will take a little longer to cook BUT when it’s done you will notice that you have gotten yourself the a potato with INTEGRITY. It won’t be falling apart because of all the water that it would have absorbed, had you peeled it before you boiled it. Then, if you don’t like the skins, you can cool the potatoes, then peel it and dice it and do whatever you wanna do with it. Try it. You’re gonna be like, “OMG, I can actually taste the potato.” So, no mushy, watery potato anymore.

Tire of mashing the potato? Well roast them honey….roast them. One again, do not peel them. Wash, scrub, dry then drizzle with oilive oil, sea salt and pepper….add more robust flavor by chopping up some herbs, like rosemary, and give it a toss. Pop it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I like to drizzle a little herbed oil over my potatoes when it’s done, just to enhance the flavor. Did I tell you that I love big flavors? Oh and did I tell you how much I love rosemary and that I buy them by the pound? I sure do. I can’t wait to have a rosemary garden. I seem to be doing well with all my other herbs in my herb garden except rosemary….but I won’t stop, because I’m not a quitter. I’m gonna get that rosemary greenthumb one of these days.

That’s some rosemary….1lb to be exact. I had just washed it. Yes I wash all my produce. I don’t care if it says triple wash on the package, I’m still washing it. I washed it in vinegar and water in the kitchen sink, then rinsed it with cold water and placed them on paper towels to drip dry. Once dried, I  wrap it in the same paper towel, because I need the paper towel to be damp (not sogging wet) just damp, place it in a plastic bag and the container that It was purchased it, and place it in the refrigerator. It usually last me about 2 weeks or more….depending on how fast I use them. So don’t forget to grab you some herbs for your herb roasted tri color potatoes and chicken….or any meat for that matter. Rosemary pairs so well with lamb.

Don’t forget your herbs when shopping. Remember, herbs are healing foods.