Purple Potatoes

I couldn't help but buy a few purple potatoes recently. They are so beautiful looking, aren't they? They're much more interesting than the boring white potato, they taste exactly the same, and research shows they actually have incredible health benefits. The striking purple pigment is its nutritional crown and glory, courtesy of the antioxidant powerhouse anthocyanin, which is responsible for the purple and blue colors of fruits and vegetables, like blueberries, blackerries, red grapes, cherries, and eggplant. This flavonoid has been shown in studies to possess anti-cancer and heart-protective effects, as well as benefits such as boosting the immune system and protecting against age-related memory loss.

I prepared these purple beauties very simply. I just cut them up, coated them in olive oil, sprinkled sea salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika over them and roasted them in the oven at 375 degrees until they were cooked through and a little crispy. They were delicious. Now that I've tried roasted purple potatoes, I wonder what purple mashed potatoes would be like. Something tells me they wouldn't be quite the same.