Meet Oregon’s Newly Anointed State Vegetable

The Potato was just waiting to be picked!

Presented by Oregon Potato Commission By Julie Lee April 16, 2024 What’s This?

Recipes

Potato Feta Bake

Active time: 5 minutes if vegetables are pre-chopped, 15 minutes if not
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients:
12 oz. Yukon Gold potatoes, about 2-4
1 red bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes
1 yellow summer squash or zucchini
1 yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
1 sprig of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
3 green onions
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 oz. block of fat-free feta cheese, drained if packed in brine
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375K
Roughly chop potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes, summer squash, and yellow onion into large 1” chunks. Mince garlic. Toss all together with olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Lay sprigs of thvme in the center of a 12" cast iron pan (or similar-sized ovenproof bakeware), then place the block of feta on top of the thyme. Add the seasoned chopped vegetables around and over the block of feta (so it doesn't burn).
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, roughly chop the basil, mince the rosemary, and thinly slice the green onions.
Give the vegetables a stir and remove the vegetables from the top of the feta so the cheese can brown and crisp up.
Bake for additional 15-30 minutes depending on your oven. You want the potatoes to be cooked through (test by piercing with a knife) the vegetables to be broken down roasted, and the top of the feta to start browning and crisping on the edges.
Remove pan from the oven, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Finish by tossing on herbs and green onions. Serve hot.
Serves 4 (about 13 oz., about 380 calories per serving).

Mediterranean Mashed Potato Bowl

Ingredients:
½ cup dehydrated potato flakes
1 cup chicken stock or water
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup broccoli crown pieces
½ cup cauliflower crown pieces
½ cup cherry tomatoes
¼ cup black beans, rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced

Optional for sauce:
¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Harissa chili paste or to taste

For mashed potatoes: bring chicken stock or water to a boil, remove from heat, and add potato flakes. Stir until desired thickness or follow box instructions. Microwave 2 tablespoons olive oil with 1 teaspoon garlic and add to mashed potatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For toppings: combine all the vegetables, black beans, 1 clove minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Roast in oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or microwave until warm and tender.

For optional sauce: combine yogurt and chili paste, mix thoroughly.

To assemble: place one half of the mashed potatoes in each of two bowls, then top each with one half of the vegetable mixture and serve as is or top with optional sauce.

Makes 2 servings

Skordalla DIP (Potato Hummus)

Cook time; None if starting from cooked potatoes, 10 minutes from raw potatoes
Blending time: 5 minutes
Total time: 5-15 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 pound cooked Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes (1-inch diced, simmered until tender— about 8-10 minutes), cooled
3 tablespoons tahini
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Olive oil
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons sliced green onion, for garnish
1 teaspoon lemon zest, for garnish
3 oz. carrot sticks, for serving
3 oz. celery sticks, for serving

Directions:
Place cooked, cooled potatoes in large bowl or food processor.
Add tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Mix with wooden spoon or process in food processor until well mixed. Adjust to desired texture with additional olive oil.
Serve in a bowl garnished with green onion and lemon zest.
Serve with carrot and celery sticks, crackers, or pita.
Serving Size: 1/2 cup with a handful of celery and carrots, 190 calories.

Smashed Potatoes and Vegetables with Japanese Curry Sauce

Cook time: 15 minutes if using pre-cooked potatoes, 30 minutes from raw potatoes
Plating time: 2-5 minutes
Total time: 17-35 minutes

Ingredients:
6 oz. cooked, cooled fingerling or small yellow potatoes (simmered 20 minutes or until fork-t ender)
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 oz. fresh mixed vegetables (broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, carrots, bell pepper, etc.), cut into 1" cubes
1 package instant Japanese curry (S&B Golden or similar)
1 tablespoon green onion, sliced
Salt to taste

Directions:
Smash cooked, cooled potatoes into an even layer.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
Add small amount of olive oil.
Pan-fry smashed potatoes until golden brown (about 5 minutes), flip and continue cooking until bottom is golden brown (about another 5 minutes).
While smashed patatoes are cooking, toss mixed vegetables in remaining olive oil and salt, then roast in the oven at 425 degrees for approximately 15 minutes, or steam in the microwave.
Prepare curry according to package instructions (typically 2 cups boiling water, simmered for 5 minutes).
Once browned, place smashed potatoes on platter and top with cooked vegetables and 1/5 of the prepared curry sauce. Garnish with sliced green onion.
Serves 1-400 calories per serving.

At least one kind of drought is over. Oregon went 164 years without claiming an official state vegetable, and the Oregon State Legislature recently designated the Potato as the official state vegetable. Potatoes join counterpart symbols: Pears, the official state fruit; Dungeness Crab, the official state Crustacean, and Milk, the official state beverage.

With over 45,000 acres in Oregon dedicated to growing potatoes, they are the number one selling vegetable in the state. This designation is something that is good for all of Oregon agriculture. It brings growers and consumers together across the state and is a way to educate and share the importance of rural Oregon’s role in feeding communities, as well as being an economic driver locally and internationally.

Potatoes are considered one of the original superfoods. Fiber-rich, full of antioxidants, low in sodium, and gluten, fat, and cholesterol-free, potatoes sit at the top of nutrition’s throne when it comes to vegetables. Providing far more potassium than bananas, potatoes boost heart health, help lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. The abundant fiber in potatoes also supports gut health and weight loss.

When Oregon Potato Commissioner and Culinary Ambassador Leif Benson discovered five years ago that Oregon didn’t have a registered state vegetable, he strapped on his boots and went to work. Patience was required, with Covid shutdowns stalling progress for a couple of those years. “Oregon State Senator Bill Hansell was approached to create a bill making the potato the state vegetable,” said Benson, “with his support, and the Oregon Potato Commission moving all the chess pieces around at the capital to make this happen, it happened.”

Benson also had Gary Roth, the Executive Director of the Oregon Potato Commission, as a natural support championing the case for the potato. The idea of acquiring state vegetable status was posed by Benson in one of Roth’s very first meetings at the helm.

Roth grew up on a 300-acre farm in Scappoose and majored in agriculture at Oregon State University. After decades with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, he was ready to focus on just one commodity. “I found my perfect fit; I’m like a kid in a candy store. One of the greatest joys of being with the commission is learning firsthand what a wonderful, healthy, and nutritious product the potato is,” said Roth.

Benson has traveled internationally to promote Oregon potatoes, with Japan being the biggest trading partner on the West Coast. Said Benson, “Oregon potatoes are very valued internationally.” There are century potato farmers in Oregon, which Benson said, “is a big deal.” Over 1,200 farms and ranches in Oregon have reached the 100-year milestone, a prerequisite being that a farm or ranch is operated continuously in the same family for 100 years or more. Mark Ward of Baker City is one of those honored farmers.

Ward Ranches started with a small crop of potatoes nearly 110 years ago. “My grandfather started raising potatoes in 1915,” said Ward, “and the first crop was in 1919, so we achieved century farm status in 2019.” The Ward family owns and leases multiple properties around Baker Valley for potato production, though he said they are ‘small potatoes’ when it comes to their family’s farm size.

About the potato being named the official state vegetable, Ward said “that’s my family heritage; my grandfather was a charter member of the Oregon Potato Commission. I’m very proud that the people in Oregon recognize the potato as an important part of Oregon agriculture.”

Oregon potato farmers donate over a million pounds annually to the Oregon Food Bank, with some farmers, like Dan Chin, making it an annual mission to contribute to that donation. “When the Oregon Food Bank called and needed product, we’d donate.”

Said Chin of the potato’s new status, “it’s awesome. There’s no question that this will help in (growing) the awareness for people in Oregon and other states that we are #4 in the nation for potato production. To see it be the state vegetable makes me very happy.”

Show Comments