Not Your Average Baked Potato

Prepped potato ready for baking

The baked potato has been a popular dinner item for a very long time. Potatoes in general have been used as a food item for centuries in the Andes. The Spanish brought this versatile plant back to Europe, and by the 18th century it was becoming a staple in the diet of many people. Potatoes are a good source of a number of vitamins including vitamins C, B6, niacin, magnesium, and iron. Much of the nutrition in the potato is in the skin, so if you peel it you are throwing away most of your vitamins.

Today’s recipe is a variation on the average baked potato that my sweetheart introduced me to. The process is very simple and the results are very tasty.

1. Give your potato a good scrubbing and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Use a damp cloth to spread a thin layer of moisture on your counter and place two pieces of aluminum foil (about 1 foot square) on top of the damp area per potato. The moisture will help keep the foil from sliding around during the next step.
3. Using a stick of unsalted butter, coat the foil where the potato will be placed. I try for an area about 1 or 2 inches larger than the potato.
4. Sprinkle on some garlic powder, onion powder, and Mrs. Dash. Smokey paprika, cayenne pepper, and parsley are some other herbs to select from as well.
5. Cut your potato in half. You want to cut along the narrow side so that you have a large cut surface and a mostly flat potato. Be very careful doing this so that you don’t cut yourself.
6. Place the cut pieces cut side down on the butter and seasonings.
7. Fold the foil around the potato and place in a 400 degree oven for at least one hour.

The butter and the seasonings seem to soak into the potato and the result is very tasty. You can pre-prep your potatoes in advance and put them in the fridge till you are ready to bake them; however, I would not do this more than one day in advance. Remember that a cold potato will take a bit longer to bake than one at room temperature.

One word of caution about the potato: it is a member of the nightshade family. There are some people who are sensitive to plants in this family. Also, anyone who suffers from arthritis should avoid eating any food that is a member of the nightshade family.

 

Nightshades

For those that suffer from arthritis or an arthritis related disease such as lupus, rheumatism, and other musculoskeletal pain disorders members of the Solanaceae family of flowering plants, more commonly known as nightshades, may be adversely affecting their illness. Members of the nightshade family include tomatoes, potatoes (but not sweet potatoes), eggplant, most peppers (both sweet and hot varieties including paprika, cayenne pepper and Tabasco sauce) and tobacco.

Norman F. Childers, PhD, is the founder of the Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation. He has the following to say on this subject: “Diet appears to be a factor in the etiology of arthritis based on surveys of over 1400 volunteers during a 20-year period. Plants in the drug family, Solanaceae (nightshades) are an important causative factor in arthritis in sensitive people.” The primary cause of the reactions in some people is the presence of an alkaloid called tropane which many are very sensitive to.

On the other side of the fence on this issue is an arthritis blog post at About.com: Arthritis, which says: “According to the University of Washington website, “No foods have been definitively shown to cause or exacerbate arthritis in most individuals. A variety of diets and hand-me-down information exists about certain foods and arthritis, in particular the night shade plants, but none of it has been proven.” The effect of foods on arthritis symptoms vary greatly from person to person. It is an individual decision whether or not to avoid nightshade vegetables.” However, there is a posted reply stating: “I am finding that since I cut potatoes and tomatoes almost completely out of my diet, I can no longer tolerate either. They cause excruciating pain in my legs and hips the following day. I do not believe this to be a coincidence.”

While many members of the nightshade family have been an important part of the human diet for centuries, there may be many who would benefit from removing them from their diet. Will this work for all arthritis suffers? Maybe, maybe not, but what have you got to loose by trying this except a short change in diet (a minimum of a two week trial is recommended) and a whole lot of pain?

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