Potato Bars

 Potatoes tend to be the heart of any holiday table, yet they're often ignored for more fancier mains and sides. However you can make them shine at a holiday table.How Set up a potato bar. Yes!~ Baked potatoes can shone just as brightly as any charcuterie or sea-cuterie platter. 

Regular contributor and chef himself, Eric Kim elevates the lowly spud with an article and recipes in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food section.Baked potatoess got their due during 1909 when railway dining was truly elegant. Hazen Titus was head of the line  Northern Pacific/s dining car hd learned of a surplus of oversized potatoes. he put them on his menu.They were ordered and put on the menu and became a hit. More than a century later a baked potato is still a big hit. Who doesn't love a split one with a fluffy white flesh along with a huge , melting part of butter.It's also good with other topping like the traditional sour cream, chives cheese and bacon. Chef Kim has spent the last year baking giant spuds, he recommends them to star at at any party.It start s by setting up a bar It appeals to all sorts of cultures. As chef Vishwesh Bhatt wrote in his cookbook "Potaotes are a great equalizer for many cuisines.They can be adopted to many different tastes and cuisines,

What would work in a potato bar? An aglio e olio one appeals to those who love the simple Italian pasta dish. It starts with a baked potato dolloped with a mayo and garlic mixture, Lightly drizzle with  extra virgin olive oil and red pepper if you want some zing. Microplane a cloud of Parmesan over each one for a tasty,flavor. There is also an Indian-ish recipe from Cehf Kim's fellow writer Priya Krishna and her mother . Chiles and chaat masala - a dried powder made from dried mango powder , black salt and dried pomegranate seeds. There's also onions and ginger for more flavor and bite.Green Chiles or Serrano Chiles are used.Mr. Kim celebrates his Korean heritage with his caramelized kimchi potatoes.it stands in for bacon as it;s sauteed with butter. and then browned much in the same way as onions or cabbage is. Sharp cheddar tops it along with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chives. Sweet potatoes get their due here too They;'re topped with goat cheese whipped ream cheese and hot honey, a mix of regular honey and Chiles.Rosemary and nuts top them off for a different flavor.

A potato bar? Why not. It'sa different and fun way of enjoying this powerhouse staple Try  them with all the different ingredients.