THE humble spud, one of Hepburn Shire’s most renowned products may seem like simple fare but one grower is determined to put the tuber in the spotlight and showcase its versatility.
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Mount Prospect farm manager Rod Fraser, a fifth generation potato farmer, has supplied potatoes for one of the key food and wine events at the 2017 Winter Festival, and hopes the school holiday event will raise the profile of one of the region’s great products.
Mr Fraser said growing potatoes was not easy work but it was rewarding – especially when you could see the potatoes in such wide use.
“(Potato Festival) is really exciting because we’ve never had anything like this before right in Ballarat,” Mr Fraser said. “We’ve been working at getting back to old varieties, where the flavour is really good. We’re lucky we have the really good red soil to grow them in.”
Mr Fraser said consumers were definitely becoming more discerning in wanting to know where their food came from and its nutrients.
Purple varieties have been in the spotlight for their extra nutrient benefits.
And it looks like an event in Ballarat has proved the perfect showcase for the versatile spud, with more than 300 people pouring through the doors in the opening 30 minutes of the inaugural Ballarat Potato Festival on Saturday afternoon.
Traditional potato fare was a comforting delight in the form of baked potatoes and chips and gravy at Ballarat Mining Exchange. Intriguing twists in potato ice-cream and sweet potato cake icing were proving popular tastes.
Each vendor used Mount Prospect Produce-sourced potatoes in their creations.
This could be sampled in Il Piccolo Gelato’s purple sapphire ice-cream. Teaming with The Local cafe, Il Piccolo also served up sweet potato ice-cream with maple syrup on potato pancakes.
Il Piccolo’s Anthony Ransome said he approached the flavour challenge like any other. Roasting the potato, he mixed it with a gelato base that offered the best consistency. The result was not super sweet but teamed well when teamed with toppings and pancakes.