Mashed potatoes with sauerkraut

This mashed potatoes with sauerkraut bake will slow gastric emptying meaning it gives less of a glucose spike; the metabolites from the probiotic are so good for us too.

Potatoes from cold storage have a very high glycemic index; they are fattening and will provoke insulin resistance if you also enjoy a lot of refined starches and sugary treats.

But new potatoes freshly lifted from the ground have a large amount of resistant starch that is not turned into glucose; it ends up feeding the microbiome. Add cabbage or better still sauerkraut to slow gastric emptying and you have a winner.

• About resistant starch
  

What's in a name?

In many different cultures where the potato is revered, people have come to realise this vegetable needs to be treated with caution. Once it has been handled by modern agriculture and industrial food companies it can become very fattening; so smart cooks have found ways to reduce the way it is digested in the gut. Enter the humble cabbage, a green we really should give homage to.

In Holland they call it "stamppot." Cabbage, kale and carrots are mixed in with mashed potato; often with a smoked sausage.

In England it's called "bubble and squeak," often enjoyed with fried egg and bacon for breakfast.

Only the crazy Scots could come up with a name like "rumbledethumps" but once again it's just boiled cabbage mashed into leftover potato with lots of added butter; and then smothered in cheese and popped into the oven.

In Greece they would say it has Spanakopita vibes but made with mashed new potatoes instead of pasta; and fermented cabbage instead of spinach.

But as we know a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; mashed potato with cabbage tastes just as good no matter what you call it.

Butter

Let's talk about butter for a moment, acknowledging that it is controversial; everything depends on whatever else you are eating.

Even though butter is back current researchers are still overwhelmingly saying that those eating typical grocery store food should limit animal fats; it is associated with heart disease.

But what about those who eschew all those aisles with shelves laden with ultra-processed food? They take up literally three-quarters of the modern grocery store.

We dare not dismiss what the scientists are finding; butter will add to the misery of those consuming baked goods and chips which are loaded in omega-6 fats. It is highly inflammatory.

• Linoleic acid in sunflower and soybean oil promotes inflammation

We would tentatively suggest that those enjoying food that is from the other quarter of the shelves, that which is not highly processed and is rich in fibre can perhaps indulge in mashed potatoes with sauerkraut and lashings of butter; but do beware. What does your doctor have to say about your HbA1_c, cholesterol profile and triglycerides?

It might be a very dangerous business adding a quarter of a block of butter to your mashed potato and sauerkraut.

Why new potatoes?

Newly lifted potatoes for the first two or three days have a large amount of "resistant starch;" it is not readily turned into glucose^[1] but goes instead to feed the microbiome, those friendly bugs in the guts of those with happy tums.

But once a few days have passed and particularly those potatoes from cold storage, then everything changes. They become highly glycemic; they make us fat.

You should easily be able to scrape off a bit of the surface of a new potato with your thumbnail; it does not need to be peeled. Much of the fibre and nutrients are found in and just below the skin.

All that extra fibre, the resistant starch and particularly the magnesium mean that new potatoes are an extremely healthy food; alas that cannot be said for those typically found in the grocery store.

Those who grow potatoes themselves or know a local farmer can enjoy new spuds without guilt. They taste so much better anyway.

Potato plants are dried off with herbicides just before harvesting. Paraquat has been banned in Europe because it has been strongly fingered as a cause of Parkinson's Disease; but is still used in much of the world.

New potatoes have the advantage that they are often harvested before these toxic herbicides are used.

• Risk factors of Parkinson's Disease
  

Better still if you have a small garden learn how to plant potatoes. It's so easy.

Why sauerkraut?

You will find umpteen recipes for mashed potatoes with cabbage; those who are enjoying a diet high in refined starches, soft drinks and indulging in sweet treats need to treat them with caution if they come out of cold storage.

Mashed potato with sauerkraut has more flavour and the lactic acid slows the release of the starch from the stomach. This gives more time for the incretin hormones to activate the beta cells in the pancreas to start producing insulin; and to send early messages to the brain when we have had enough to eat.

It's interesting that in all five of the Blue Zone countries where ten times as many people reach strong and zestful old age that they leave the table slightly hungry.

• Feeling of fullness after eating
• Blue Zone longevity
  

A large bottle of sauerkraut is so easy to make at home. It takes about an hour to chop the cabbage finely and mix everything thoroughly with salt; you can start enjoying your own fresh probiotics daily within a week. Add other vegetables and spices for kimchi.

• Homemade sauerkraut recipe

Chew your food thoroughly

Foodies today just love meals that slide down the throat without chewing; so most recipes advocate boiling the cabbage before adding it to the mashed potato. Many of the minerals are lost in the water.

We make no apology for meals that have to be chewed slowly, thoroughly and mindfully. They are good for the gums and astonishingly will help keep dementia at bay. It's a fine line that distinguishes the epicure from the food snob.

• Whole foods are chewy
  

Magnesium and potassium

We keep mentioning this mineral magnesium; it is in demand by over 300 chemical reactions that are continually happening in the body. But more than 50% of those eating typical grocery store food are seriously deficient^[2].

New potatoes have ten times as much magnesium as most other vegetables; but beware as much is lost in the water used to cook them. Add it to your stews, gravies and soups; and in the dough of your bread if you're a baker.

Potassium is another mineral deficient in modern industrial foods; it is desperately needed to keep our very high salt diets in balance. Otherwise we will have hypertension and need to take medication; potatoes are particularly rich in the element.

• Salt versus potassium blood pressure debate
  

No need for salt in this recipe; the sauerkraut and feta cheese have plenty.

Mashed potatoes with sauerkraut

Mashed potatoes with sauerkraut make a dish that is tastier; and a more nutritious way of using up a glut of new spuds in the garden.

Recognise though that after being in the oven that no active bacteria of the probiotic remain; only the important metabolites that they left behind. Make sure you also enjoy raw sauerkraut.

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