March 31 is National Tater Day. Takeout and delivery will be available relatively soon from the many restaurants and eateries around the area, but how are you going to celebrate the occasion?
There are several dishes to consider, obviously. Perhaps you can relish on a side of crispy potatoes from Brunch Red Bank? If you want something a bit more filling, there’s always the loaded baked potato from Firebirds Wood Fire Grill. Some others to consider are the potato croquettes from Pazzo MMX, the nacho cheese and chips from Jamian’s Food & Drink, or even the specialty dish in the potato pancakes from Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten.
If you like your spuds, National Tater Day on March 31st is for you! The day recognizes all kinds of potatoes which provide us with essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Potatoes are quite versatile, which might explain why so many people like them. They are the number one consumed vegetable in the United States. And when you consider how many ways we can eat the over 200 different kinds of potatoes in the United States, you shouldn’t be surprised.
First off, we can bake them. Who doesn’t like a baked potato? Sit down in back. Plus those baked potatoes? You can bake them twice with all sorts of delicious toppings. Twice! Secondly, we can boil them. And from the boiled potatoes we can make soups, salads or make one of the world’s all-time favorite potato dishes – mashed potatoes. And did you know, mashed potatoes have numerous different recipes, too? You can’t have shepherd’s pie without mashed potatoes. Dice them and slice them and we can make scalloped, fried or even hashbrowns. And then, of course, there’s potato dumplings and pancakes.
Beyond all the ways we can use potatoes, this day may have originally had a different meaning. At the beginning of April, there is a celebration of the sweet potato (Tater Day) in parts of Kentucky. Sweet potatoes are one of the main cash crops in that area. Tater Day started way back in the early 1840s with the trading and selling of sweet potatoes. It is the oldest continuous trade day in the United States.
