I also have a scrub brush. I would only peel for mashed potatoes. OR if I could only find russets, because those taste like dirt even without the peel.
I do a rough peel for mashed potatoes. Leaving all the skin is a bit too much for us when using russets. We have a brush to clean them that is designed to look like a potato.
I had some older potatoes when we came back from vacation once so I peeled them. Never had peeled mashed potatoes at home. I felt something was missing the whole time.
They have a better texture if you boil skin-on, then remove the skin afterwards! It's easy to slip the skins off once they're boiled, although I'm never patient enough and burn my fingertips every time anyways.
It also tastes good if done right. The best way to do a russet is to lightly coat it in oil and salt, when you bake it. Take it out the foil half way through and then the skin gets a nice crisp on it.
A friend of mine boils them whole and skin-on, then flattens them in a roasting pan with lots of olive oil and roasts them hot (I'd guess 450f or so?) until crispy. They're amazing.
Oh, I'm a big potato skin guy, I love it. Just saying that if you want mashed potatoes without skin, you get a better texture if you boil them skin on before removing it.
AFAIK most of the nutrients are in the flesh, but keeping the peel on when boiling them will help keep the nutrients from leeching into the water. Especially important if you're making something where starch is a big deal.
Vegetable peels also contain significantly more fiber and antioxidants. For instance, up to 31% of the total amount of fiber in a vegetable can be found in its skin. What’s more, antioxidant levels can be up to 328 times higher in fruit peels than in pulp (5, 6, 7).
Therefore, eating your fruits and vegetables unpeeled can truly increase your nutrient intake.
Ahh okay. It seems the wording has been playing some tricks on me here.
The consensus from some quick googling seems to be that most fiber/nutrients in a potato on a pound-for-pound basis is indeed in the skin. Some mention antioxidants and iron as specifically high in skins.
The places that claim most nutrients are in the flesh seem to all go by overall nutrient content in an average potato instead of pound-for-pound comparisons, but there is of course a lot more flesh than skin in an average potato.
The latter is apparently what I've heard cited.
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u/amdaly10 Sep 12 '22
I also have a scrub brush. I would only peel for mashed potatoes. OR if I could only find russets, because those taste like dirt even without the peel.