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To peel or not to peel?

post #1 of 10
10/5/06 at 1:42pm
Thread Starter 
I am thinking of making shepherd's pie and need to mash some potato as part of the recipe.

I am getting mixed answers on whether I should or should not peel the potato first before boiling them.

If I don't peel the potatoes and chop them into smaller chunks, they take a much much longer time to cook and it's such a hassle to keep checking if they are cooked thoroughly. (Am looking at russet potatoes here)

If I peel them first, I have read that I'll lose the fiber, most of the proteins, many of the vitamins and half the iron!!

Just wondering what does the team here generally do?
www.simcooks.com
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post #2 of 10
10/5/06 at 1:43pm
i always peel my potatoes after i cook them.
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post #3 of 10
10/5/06 at 2:29pm
I never peel my potatoes. Like the skins in most every preparation.
Fortunately, so does my wife. :smoking:

Mike
travelling gourmand
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post #4 of 10
10/5/06 at 2:41pm
Sometimes I peel; sometimes not.

And there you have it: it's a matter of preference. :look:

Seriously: If you and the people who will be eating the dish don't mind the look of little flecks of brown in the topping, then just scrub the potatoes thoroughly, dice, and cook. If the look of a pure snowdrift of mashed potatoes is what you're after, then either peel before dicing, or cook the potatoes whole and peel them while they're hot. (The only problem there is that, yes, they take a lot longer to cook whole than they do diced.) This keeps them from getting waterlogged, and keeps the nutrients from leaching out.

You could also bake the potatoes and then scoop out the flesh to mash, but then you'd definitely not get the benefits of the skin.

Whatever you decide to do, just be sure to scrub the potatoes well before you cut and/or cook them.
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #5 of 10
10/5/06 at 3:22pm
I'm with Suzanne. Sometimes I want them peeled, sometimes I don't. But i do boil them in their skins. They taste better and don't get so waterlogged.

Phil
more than taste fine
me eat it all the time
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post #6 of 10
10/5/06 at 3:40pm
If the potatoes are relatively new,clean, unmarked; you can leave the peel on.
If the potatoes are old,grungy, pitted, etc. - it's best to peel them!
I often, but not always, cook potatoes whole, with their skins, then slip the skin off when they're done.
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post #7 of 10
10/5/06 at 3:40pm
Agree totally.

Rgds Rook
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post #8 of 10
10/5/06 at 4:45pm
If you choose not to peel the spuds don't waste salt in the water but season well after they are peeled (or cut, or however you plan to eat them.) Since we all agree that the skin keeps the water out it makes sense it keeps the salt in the water out too so why bother?
IMHO whatever is lost in peeling and chopping the potatoes is not worth the extra time it takes to cook them whole. Besides, you can always replenish the lost nutrients with added butter, cream, truffle oil, cheese and other good stuff when you mash them :)

Jock
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post #9 of 10
10/5/06 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 
Someone once told me the potato tastes better if boiled with the skin on. Now I know the reason - that the potato is not saturated with water.

Thanks all! :)
www.simcooks.com
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post #10 of 10
10/5/06 at 6:50pm
it's a matter of preferance.:bounce:
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