Gourmet potatoes on the menu for celebrate National Potato Day
By Jensen, Randy on August 21, 2020.
Chef David Little holds up this year's signature potato and fixings, all sourced from local producers, which was featured this week at the Whoop-Up Days signature stuffed potato drive-thru at Exhibition Park. Herald photo by Tim KalinowskiTim Kalinowski
Lethbridge Herald
tkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com
The mighty potato proved once again it is the king of all vegetables as many came out to celebrate National Potato Day at Exhibition Park on Wednesday.
“The Potato Chuckwagon,” located in the south parking lot of Exhibition Park, featured gourmet, locally-sourced, Whoop-Up Days signature potatoes and fixings to help give the drive-thru public a unique taste of southwestern Alberta.
“It’s 100 per cent locally sourced,” explained Chef David Little, who prepared the signature potatoes. “It’s a pulse-stuffed potato. So it’s using lentil, pinto beans and sweet peas. It’s a bit of a neapolitan-looking potato. The chili uses kidney beans which are locally sourced in southern Alberta. The beef is sourced in southern Alberta. In fact, the only component that isn’t is the chili powder.”
Little says potatoes are vital to southern Alberta’s ongoing agricultural and food processing economy, and it’s an industry which needs to be celebrated by all those who live in the region, particularly in a challenging year like this one.
“The potato industry is a big piece of creating the food hub we are trying to accomplish here,” he confirmed.
All the potatoes used to create the Whoop-Up Days signature dish were donated by Diamond Sun Farms.
Unfortunately, a previously planned event intended to coincide with the Potato Chuckwagon had to be cancelled at the last minute. Food critic Julie Van Rossendaal was supposed to host the event, but could not travel due to COVID concerns. She did an Instagram meet-up with local Couch Potato Food Fest winners instead earlier in the day.
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