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Traditional method for fermented potatoes as an enzyme-rich, cultured side dish that adds probiotics and resistant starch to the diet.
Is there anything quite as satisfying as mashed potatoes with dinner? I just love all forms of potatoesโฆ baked, fried, mashed, even boiled!
This recipe provides a traditional method (with video how-to) for making fermented potatoes to add to your spuds repertoire.
Why would you want to make cultured potatoes in the first place? Because, unfortunately, the starch in potatoes is really not all that easy to digest for many people.
Especially these days with so many people suffering from digestive complaints of all kinds, starch can be a real painโฆquite literally!
Potatoes are also nightshade vegetables, so lightly culturing them can help with any issues for those who are sensitive.
The problem is with the starch molecule itself. Each one is quite complexโฆcomprised of hundreds of mono-sugars connected in long, branch-like strands.
It takes much digestive work to break down the starch molecule and, as a result, much of it goes undigested in most cases.
For those with an imbalanced gut, the undigested starch is the perfect food for pathogens and they grow and produce toxins that cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms in susceptible individuals.
Easy-to-Digest Cultured Potatoes
If you enjoy potatoes but find that they trigger digestive or autoimmune symptoms, it might be worth it for you to try your hand at fermenting them.
I prefer Yukon Gold as it seems to make the tastiest dish! Red or purple potatoes are also amazing.
If you are coming off the GAPS, AIP or SCD diets and reintroducing resistant starchย to your diet after a period of gut healing, fermented potatoes would be a great first step.
While resistant starch is reduced during cooking, the bonds reform when the potatoes are cooled and these โnew resistant starchesโ remain even if the dish is reheated before eating! (1)
We like this dish in our home to simply add that probiotic element to a meal of primarily cooked foods. Adding enzyme-rich, live food to your meals is nothing short of miraculous for boosting immunity and improving nutrient absorption.
If youโve been wanting to make a fermented dish at home for the first time, this would be an easy and delicious one to start with!
The video demonstration included with the recipe below shows how to make probiotic potatoes using the Nourishing Traditions method.
If you are not eating white potatoes, feel free to substitute sweet potatoes instead.
Dairy-free? Try this fermented sweet potatoes recipe that uses sauerkraut juice instead of yogurt as the starter.
Fermented Potatoes Recipe
This recipe for fermented potatoes is an enzyme and probiotic-rich side dish that adds resistant starch that is more easily digested and shown to reduce belly fat.
Ingredients
- 4 cups white potatoes preferably organic
- 2 cups whole milk yogurt plain, preferably organic
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
Instructions
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Peel the potatoes. This greatly reduces the chances of fermentation mold. Bake or boil potatoes and then mash them in a large glass bowl. Do not microwave.
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With a handheld mixer or food processor, blend well with yogurt and sea salt once the potatoes are warm and no longer hot.
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Cover with a clean, cotton cloth and secure with a rubber band. Leave the covered bowl on the counter for 2 days and then refrigerate. They will last about a month.
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Serve with steak as an enzyme-rich side dish or with any meal where potatoes work well.
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You may reheat cultured potatoes on the stove before serving, but take care not to warm them too much or enzymes and probiotics will be lost. Keep below 118 ยฐF/ 48 ยฐC.
Recipe Video
(1) Eat This Carb and You Wonโt Gain Weight
Great recipe! Make this all the time.
Can I use kefir instead of yogurt to make this?
I think the flavor might turn out too sour with this substitution.
I have to agree with Christine Rademacher. They turned out way too sour. Not too different from sauerkraut, but not what you’d expect from potatoes. Possibly it would taste better if the amount of yogurt in the recipe was cut in half, but doubt that I will experiment further with this one. It does bring a favorable yeasty scent into the room as it sits on the counter for 2 days. I have lost some weight while eating it, and I was eating a lot, just to get through it, not because I liked it. I made a double recipe. So maybe it would be good for weight loss.
This is an addendum to my previous posting. I went to put the potatoes into the refrigerator, and was shocked to see a lawn of white hyphae covering the potatoes. Admittedly it sat on the counter at room temperature closer to 52 hours, rather than the prescribed 48. Also, rather than a clean towel, I had a glass lid covering the potatoes. I had been eating on it within 10 hours of making my unfortunate discovery.
With all due respect, if you don’t follow the recipe, cover with a glass lid instead of a cloth which will over-ferment it, and then ferment too long on top of that and get kahm yeast on it so it tastes too sour, please don’t complain!
Hi! Thanks for the information. I am a beginner cook so I don’t know much about cooking. Please enlighten me. I was taught not to leave yogurt or food in general unrefrigerated. If you leave the yogurt with potato mixture on the counter for 2 days, it won’t go bad? Also can you tell me exactly what type of yogurt and pink himalayan salt you used (ex. brand name, product label, grocery store, etc), so I can buy the same one? Thanks!
The yogurt contains live probiotics which is what ferments the food and protects it from pathogens. Links to suggested brands are in the ingredients section of the recipe.
Made this with fermented pickle juice from a recent ferment. Made it totally dairy free. No issues. Fermented like crazy. Thanks for the idea!
Wondering if you pressure can red potatoes will they be healthy to eat? Thank you
Canning process eliminates the benefits of fermentation.
I made these using organic potatoes (skinless), raw Jersey milk yogurt, & Real Salt. They were terrible, so sour I had to discard them. What went went wrong?
I have been fermenting for years with good results. I want to make a half batch soon, but I hope this batch turns out well. Do you think the raw yogurt could have been the problem?
I don’t know what might be the problem. They aren’t that sour when I make them.
Could another nut yogurt or kefir such as macadamia be used?
Nut yogurts cannot be used. Dairy kefir can be used, but the flavor of the fermented potatoes would be quite strong I think.
Do you have to use that much salt? Will the potatoes go bad if you use less?
What is the minimum amount of salt that has to be used?
Hi Sarah,
Can some water be added to thin it out BEFORE leaving it out to ferment?
Can I do this with winter squash?Those have been a little harder for me.