Summer’s Best: New Potatoes Shine in Simple, Versatile Dishes
Creatrip Team
22 days ago
New potatoes harvested around the summer solstice (haji) have thin skins, high moisture and a fluffy texture that makes them especially delicious in summer. These ‘haji potatoes’ are easiest to enjoy simply — scrubbed and steamed, then eaten with a little salt or sugar — and retain more vitamin C and potassium when steamed or cooked with the skin on. Potatoes can be prepared many ways: steamed for fluffy interiors, fried for crispiness, grated and pan-fried for chewiness, or mashed for creaminess. In Korea they appear in classics like jjigae (stews), gamja-jorim (soy-braised potatoes) and potato jeon (pancake); regional dishes include potato ongshimi (chewy dumpling-like pieces). The article highlights a popular Seoul restaurant ‘Yetnal Gamjajeon’ known for its crisp-edged, tender-centered potato pancakes, often paired with makgeolli (rice wine). It also shares a simple recipe for myeongran potato rice (potato and rice cooked with salted pollock roe and butter) that showcases how potatoes can replace rice as the carbohydrate in a balanced meal when served with protein and vegetables. The piece encourages enjoying seasonal new potatoes through late summer in straightforward, nutritious preparations.
