Little Potatoes #NearYou

Potatoes are my thing! Fried, mashed, boiled, scalloped…I am all over cooking the potato every and any way possible! In fact, I can quite honestly say I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like! My preference, potatoes grown locally…I’m a fan of everything and anything local. You too?

Well…let’s talk potatoes!

Recently, I met with the folks from The Little Potato Company and learned all about making wee tiny potatoes that, I’d originally thought were grown up potatoes that never quite grew up (which is probably why I felt a connection with them)…but nope, they are fully grown potatoes made specifically to be smaller, are fully grown and packed full of taste and nutrients.

The Little Potato Company started as the Dad/Daughter team of Angela Santiago and Jacob van der Schaaf, who first started growing perfect little creamer potato as Jacob sought to find the exact taste of vegetable he loved as a young boy. Since then, the company has grown to include many more varieties of potatoes along with various products…AND many of the potatoes you see locally on the supermarket shelves are grown throughout Atlantic Canada and packaged on Prince Edward Island!

Check out their story:

I’ve been purchasing The Little Potato company potatoes for a number of years…without actually knowing, as the tiny potatoes in the President’s Choice packaging are the very same as those in The Little Potato company packaging.

My very favourite way to serve (and eat) is chopped in half, coated in olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and paprika, then baked in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. They are perfectly roasted and wonderfully delicious whether served with breakfast in the morning, a hamburger at lunch or alongside a roast beef dinner and smothered in gravy!

While I’m all about eating potatoes as a side dish…I tried them in the “Red Kale and Potato Salad with Lemon Maple Dijon Dressing” recipe, taken from The Little Potato Company website (where you’ll find lots of recipes), and it was absolutely spectacular!

Red Kale and Potato Salad
with Lemon Maple Dijon Dressing

Ingredients:

• 4 cups red kale
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Terrific Trio Little Potatoes, halved
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 Tbsp olive Oil

  Lemon Maple Dijon Dressing:

• Juice from 1 whole lemon
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss halved potatoes in a bowl with garlic salt and half a tablespoon of olive oil. Place on parchment and roast for 25 minutes until fork tender. While potatoes are roasting, prepare the rest of the salad.
3. Add kale to a large bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Using clean hands, massage kale to soften slightly.
4. Add in radish and dill and set aside.
5. Using a small blender, blend all of the dressing ingredients (or whisk in a bowl.)
6. When the potatoes are done, add them to the salad and pour over the dressing. Toss everything to combine.

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The Little Potato Company is making a fabulous product and, through their website, offering up great ideas for cooking and entertaining.

For the last three years, they’ve been involved in the Little Chef Competition, in partnership with Bell Media and The Marilyn Denis Show. Check out their website for information and enter your family to win a family trip to Tuscany, Italy, valued at $15,000!

I’m a big fan of their little product. Recently, I tried their Microwave Ready potatoes that come in Garlic Parsley, Three Cheese or Savory Herb varieties and they did not disappoint! They’re quick…and ready in just a few minutes!

While bopping around the Atlantic Superstore learning all about local produce, I also discovered local produce on the supermarket shelves including:

• Leeks (Vitabite brand) from Melvin Farms, Canning NS
• Buttercup squash from Belleisle Farms, Belleisle Creek, NB
• ‘Give Them a Wink’ Gala Apples from Van Meekeren Farms, Lakeville, NS
• ‘Give Them A Wink’ Honey Crisp apples from Van Meekeren Farms
• Blueberries, garlic, red kale (Country Magic brand) from Nova Agri, Centreville, NS
• Beets from Sawler Gardens Ltd. Berwick, NS

A big thanks to Atlantic Superstore for inviting me out to meet the folks from The Little Potato Company, and for showing me the various local produce they have in store!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by President’s Choice. As always, opinions are my own.