It’s the month of March, when we celebrate whiskey and Guinness, corned beef and cabbage, and everything else that’s Irish. All that is well and good, but we couldn’t wait to pay homage to another one of our favorite consumables that makes us think Irish: the potato. The dishes we found are anything but boiled and bland (though there are a few traditional European takes, like pierogis and dumplings). In fact, potatoes pair really well with some pretty interesting flavors from around the globe, be it a Latin-inspired union like the potato sopes at Barrio or the luxurious addition of lobster in the mashed potatoes at Crave.
Potato Gnocchi
“We make our gnocchi from 100-percent potato and it’s very tender,” says owner Adam Smith, of Arezzo Ristorante. Chefs prepare the handmade potato dumplings fresh every day and serve them three ways. The four-cheese gnocchi is served in a creamy sauce made with parmesan, gorgonzola, fontina and pecorino. Alternatively, you can order it in a San Marzano tomato sauce or in the spicy meat sauce Bolognese. All are priced at $18.95.
5057 France Ave. S.; 612.285.7444
Hours: 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., 5–9 p.m. Mon.–Thurs.; 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., 5–10 p.m. Fri.–Sat.; 5–10 p.m. Sun.
Steak and Pierogi
Pierogis have been on the menu at Edina Grill in one form or another since it opened in 1999. On the current menu, they are made with potatoes and cheddar and served alongside marinated steak, topped with crispy onions and creamy horseradish sauce ($14). “It’s really just a twist on meat and potatoes,” says partner Stephanie Shimp, who ties the inspiration back to the days of hanging out at Nye’s and Kramarczuk’s in Northeast Minneapolis with co-founder David Burley after they finished a shift waiting tables at Nicollet Island Inn. “Back then, few people [in the Twin Cities] had heard of pierogis outside of Northeast Minneapolis.”
5028 France Ave. S.; 952.927.7933
Hours: 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 7 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 7 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun.
Potato Sopes
The potato sopes are a landmark dish at Cocina del Barrio, and they’ve stayed on the menu since day one. They are made from dough of masa flour and Idaho potatoes that is put through a food mill, formed in a small cup and fried until crispy. The sopes are filled with a tomatillo and chile de arbol (a Mexican chili) salsa and Minnesota-produced Stickney Hills goat cheese ($7.50). A newer potato-centric item on the menu appears at Sunday brunch, the potato and chorizo hash ($10), with a house-made chorizo of locally produced pork, yukon gold potatoes, fire-roasted poblanos, red bell peppers and two sunny-side-up organic eggs.
5036 France Ave. S.; 952.920.1860
Hours: 11 a.m.–1 a.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–2 a.m. Fri.–Sat., 11 a.m.–12 a.m. Sun.
Potato Corn Chowder
The recipe for the potato corn chowder at Eddington’s actually came from the wife of owner Randy Erickson. It’s a creamy soup made with potatoes, corn and bacon, and is available every other day (visit the Eddington’s website to find the daily soup schedule). Soup runs $4.09 for a cup, $5.49 for a bowl, and if you’re famished, $7.49 for an endless bowl. As many as 20 different flavors of soup are rotated through the daily selection of 12 soups each week.
5125 Edina Industrial Blvd.; 952.896.1148
Hours: 7:30 a.m.–8 p.m. Mon.–Fri., 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sat.
Pommes Frites with Béarnaise
Sous chef Stephen Jones at Salut says the true secret to those amazing French fries is first soaking them in cold water, then blanching them at a low temperature, and finally frying them to order at nearly 400 degrees, resulting in a texture that is creamy on the inside and crispy on the outside ($5.95). The details are great, but we will gladly leave the cooking up to them as long as the fries continue to taste this good. Serving them with a side of béarnaise, Salut’s signature mark, doesn’t hurt either.
5032 France Ave. S., Edina; 952.929.3764
Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun.
Lobster Mashed Potatoes
Lobster-infused cream, cognac and real butter add a luxurious element to an otherwise simple comfort food: the mashed potatoes at Crave in Galleria. You can get them with the glazed grilled salmon ($25.95) in a sweet chile buerre blanc with sautéed spinach. Culinary director Jim Kyndberg also likes to offset the notes of peppercorn in the nori-crusted New York strip steak with mashed sweet potatoes ($34.95), made with maple syrup, butter and touch of spice, and also served with Szechuan green beans.
Galleria, 3520 W. 70th St.; 952.697.6000
Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 4–9 p.m. Sun.
Green Chili-spiked Potato Soup
A number of potato soups gain prominence as the soup du jour at Beaujo’s this time of year ($4.25 for a cup or $5.50 for a bowl). Chef Mark Campbell incorporates a variety of ingredients into the creative process, like mushrooms, fennel or andouille sausage. One of his favorite potato soups is the green chili-spiked potato soup, made with roasted Anaheim chilis and garnished with cilantro. He also enjoys substituting different kinds of potatoes, like fingerlings, russets and yukons.
4950 France Avenue S.; 952.922.8974
Hours: 11 a.m.–11:30 p.m. Mon.–Thurs., 11 a.m.–12 a.m. Fri.–Sat., 3–10 p.m. Sun.
Potato Dumpling
Pig & Fiddle
The European-style pub fare at Pig & Fiddle this winter includes a potato dumpling made with Idaho russet potatoes and stuffed with Widmer brick cheese. The dumpling is boiled and served with a lager and mustard brown butter sauce. The dish is served as an appetizer for $7. There’s also a Polish-style pierogi, hand made with sour cream dough and stuffed with Yukon gold potatoes, Carr Valley cheese from Wisconsin and a sauerkraut that is fermented in house ($14).
3812 W. 50th St.; 952.955.8385
Hours: 4 p.m.–1 a.m. Mon.–Sun.
Alu Gobi
Potatoes play a starring role in Indian cooking, so at Biryani, you’ll find them all over the place. One of our favorite dishes is the alu gobi, a spiced potato and cauliflower appetizer that will delight herbivores and carnivores alike ($11). Other classics include the samosa ($4), a potato-and-pea-stuffed dumpling fried in a flaky dough with that lovely cilantro mint dipping sauce, and the vindaloo, made in a spicy curry sauce with habaneros, potatoes, and chicken, fish, lamb or beef ($12–$14).
7078 Amundson Ave.; 952.946.0009
