Loaded Mashed Potatoes

More About Potatoes!

And now, for a bit on the composition of a potato (because I just knew you were wondering): Potatoes are made up of 78.9% water, 18% Starch, 2.1% Protein, 1% Fat and .9% Mineral matter. Potatoes are pre-eminent among the vegetables used for food. They are tubers belonging to the Nightshade family. Their hardy growth renders them easily cultivated in almost any soil or climate. They are resistant to early frosts.

Potatoes contain an acrid juice, the greater part of which lies near the skin; it passes into the water during boiling of potatoes, and escapes with the steam from a baked potato.

Potatoes are best in the fall and keep well through the winter. By spring the starch is partially changed to dextrin, giving the potatoes a sweetness, and when cooked a waxiness. The same change takes place when potatoes are frozen. Potatoes keep best in a cool dry place. When sprouts appear they should be discarded.