Purple Potatoes

I've always been one to experiment with colors. I think they improve everything. Growing up with white walls in our house, I pleaded for yellow. Born with brown hair, I've dyed it every color under the rainbow. And I've been known to experiment with the color of my food on more than one occasion.

When I was a kid, I loved the Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham. Not just liked, but loved. Obsessively, perhaps. I know I convinced my dad, more than a few times, to dye my scrambled eggs green, and I remember being disappointed that there was no was to pull it off with poached eggs.

There's another instance that comes to mind, as well. When I was 8 or 9 years old, my mom had the flu, and my dad and I cooked dinner for her. I don't remember the whole menu, but I know for sure mashed potatoes and gravy were part of the feast.

You might be asking yourself right now, why I still remember this particular instance of mashed-potato making. Well, that would be because, once again, I decided to play with colors. I wanted to make the potatoes more festive, to cheer my mom up and help her feel better.

If you were sick in bed with the flu, wouldn't you want a heaping serving of turquoise mashed potatoes with purple gravy? (Sorry, Mom!)

At any rate, given my long history with oddly colored foods, you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled onto my latest and greatest discovery at the Turkish market. Purple potatoes!

I actually didn't realize quite what I'd gotten into when I bought them. I thought they just had deep purple skins. It wasn't until I boiled them up one night for dinner that I realized what a gem I had found. Digging in with my fork, I expected the sharp contrast of purple skin with white potato flesh - but there, instead, was this bright violet, the color of springtime flowers!

I never knew such a potato existed. They're exquisitely colored, creamy tasting, and mildly sweet. And I've read that they contain a higher level of anti-oxidants, as well. Great flavor with extra nutrition, to boot!

I ate them with a sprinkling of garlic and salt, but if I'd known beforehand what I was getting into, I would have tried a sprinkling of walnuts and maybe a dash of cardamom.

These would make a spectacular potato salad as well, with or without regular potatoes. Rather than the usual heavy mayonnaise dressing, I'd like to try a salad with some walnuts, shallots, rice vinegar, and parsley for starters. Let this sweet and unusual potatoes shine through, complemented by the seasonings - but don't drown them like you would an ordinary white potato.

I don't know how easy or difficult these might be to find in the States, but I'd have to imagine someplace like Whole Foods would likely carry them. If you do stumble across them, let me know, because I'll be back visiting for Thanksgiving and I'd love to have some at dinner!