Potatoes are underrated.

Think about it for a moment: potatoes have always been taken for granted and have never received the attention or appreciation that other foods have.

If a potato was a person, it would be the forgotten middle child (don’t come at me, it’s just a stereotype). If it were at a red carpet event, it would be harshly ignored. While the avocado, asparagus, cherry and other A-listers grace the carpet, it would be the janitor, cleaning up the trash of the attendees. And if it were on an overcrowded elevator, it would be kicked out and accused of being too overweight. The word potato conjures up images of a despondent, bullied root that did nothing to deserve its miserable fate: living forever in the shadow of its smarter, cooler cousins—the carrot and the radish.

Enough talk about how oppressed these dirty, stubby, yellow roots are! You shout, already sick of the tedious hard-core origin story of the potato. What good are they?

Again, I urge you, my friend, to think about it for a moment. Why do potatoes deserve more praise and critical acclaim? 

The answer lies in a hundred different things: among them, French fries, mashed potatoes, stews, curries, soup, baked potatoes and all sorts of salad. The versatility of the potato itself is one of its most wonderful strengths. Would you like it in the form of a healthy, nutritious meal? Then cook it with its (less tasty, but more glamorous) cousins radish and carrot and it makes a wonderful soup. The radish and carrot might be there vying to wow you with their flashy flavors, colors, and textures, but ultimately the potatoes are what make the soup delicious. How about potatoes in the form of an unhealthy but addicting snack? Universally beloved, French fries are prepared to jolt your sense of taste with their perfect combination of crunchiness, creaminess, and saltiness. You may slather them with ketchup if you so desire, but they are perfectly fine on their own. And finally, don’t get me started on the roles of potatoes as supporting actors in hot pots, stews, curries, and dozens more dishes. Without the potatoes, the said dishes can be tasty, but with them, they become superb and even Oscar-worthy.

In conclusion, I insist on repeating myself: potatoes are underrated. They are underrated in that they can do so much and have done so much for the culinary world, but do not receive the same credit or hype that other foods have. I have almost never heard anyone say anything in favor of them. They are merely… ignored. It should not be so. That is why I strongly advocate for greater appreciation for potatoes, and I beg you to also show your love for the root’s unique flavor, versatility, and texture by using it more often in your recipes and by savoring the blessing that is potatoes whenever you happen upon them in your meals. I could rant on for hours (indeed, I have) about similar topics—why spinach should not be verbally abused by characters in children’s books as a “yucky” vegetable, the superiority of chicken over turkey, and the correct method to make a perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich—but as potatoes are one of my favorite foods and I truly believe that they are worthy of better treatment, I must make my stance on this particular issue clear.