Year of the Potato

Mashed potatoes, potato salad, au gratin potatoes, hash browns, potato bread, french fries...the list is endless. Even one of my favorite vodkas, Chopin, is made from potatoes. Potatoes are delicious and extremely versatile. And there seem to be very few people who don't like potatoes. What are your favorite potato dishes?

On a more serious note, the United Nations as declared 2008 to be the International Year of the Potato. Their website states: "The celebration of the International Year of the Potato (IYP) will raise awareness of the importance of the potato - and of agriculture in general - in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment."

Their mission statement is "The mission of the International Year of the Potato is to increase awareness of the importance of the potato as a food in developing nations, and promote research and development of potato-based systems as a means of contributing to achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals."

There are all noble and worthy goals. Their website is filled with tons of information about the potato, from facts and history about the potato, potato production around the world, and much more. Plus the site will soon be updated with potato recipes, potato events, and more. Please take a look at the site and learn more about this very important agricultural product.

And have a potato for dinner tonight!