The Amazing Potato Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about mashed and French fried potatoes in the vast array of tater dishes. There are so many of them that it deserves two days worth of writing. Today it's time for th e more "upscale dishes" such as scallopped or gratinee potatoes as well as soups. The first adds class and , flavor and character as a side to any roast while the second make a wonderful, elegant lunch or dinner staple.

Scalloped potatoes are an easy to fix dish but they add a very classy touch to any roast beef or pork dinner. The dish is also called gratinee or dauphinais because it originated in the Dauphin region of southwestern France . Using a mandolin, slice russet potatoes wafer thin and layer in a buttered casserole dish. Spread milk or cream on each layer and bake for forty minutes in a 325 degree oven. They can be baked alongside a roast.Variations can include a mix of grated Gruyere and breadcrumbs on the top or even breadcrumbs between the potato layers.

Potatoes also make wonderful soup especially vichyssoise. This is a simple yet classic potato soup not from France surprisingly, but from New York City. The man who invented it . Louis Diat named it after his hometown of Vichy France. It is a cold soup or potage glacee and made with leeks and pureed potatoes . For heartier fare during this cold weather stick with hot soup such as baked potato soup. This is popular even in diners. It's a simple soup full of pureed and chunks of the tuber. Usually there is bacon. cheddar cheese bits and chives added to to give it a "Loaded potato taste"

Making potatoes into scalloped or soup dishes is easy. Both are great ways of exploring the different sides of this versatile tuber.Try them to bring out the best tastes and textures of the potatoes.