Potato peels reinvented: From trash to tasty jam
Did you just peel some potatoes and throw the skins in the bin again? Unnecessarily so because these scraps can easily be reused for further processing. You've probably heard of the famous crisps made from this part of the potatoes, but you can go further and make jam from them.
I first saw the recipe for potato peel jam at a culinary workshop where chef Julian Karewicz demonstrated the value of experimenting in the kitchen. The event was in the spirit of zero waste, hence my immense enthusiasm. After all, something that I usually throw away can be transformed into delicious new creations. As it happens, I didn't return to this dish immediately. However, the topic resurfaced when I remembered the taste and had some high-quality potatoes from a friendly farmer at home. I tweaked the recipe in my way and am sharing the result below.
How to prepare potato peels?
It's worth emphasising that it's best to use peels from vegetables that haven't been treated with chemical plant protection agents and have been thoroughly cleaned before peeling. You can additionally blanch the peels and then dry them. This is an ideal base, especially for potato peel crisps. Simply immerse the prepared potato slices in deep oil, frying them until they achieve a golden colour. After drying them on a paper towel, you can season them to taste, for example, with herbal salt and sweet paprika, and you'll have a healthy and delicious snack.
Recipe for potato peel jam
The idea for jam is a bit more time-consuming, but it's definitely worth indulging in such preserves at least once. For a jar of jam with a capacity of about 570 ml, prepare peels from about 1.8 kg of potatoes, half a cup of sugar, 240 ml of water, 1 teaspoon of spice mix, and grated zest from two oranges.
Preparation:
- Take a pot with a thicker bottom and place the peels, sugar, and water in it.
- Start heating the ingredients until they boil.
- Then, reduce the heat and caramelise the mixture, remembering to stir regularly.
- Add the spice mix and orange zest during cooking, which should be scalded with boiling water beforehand.
- When the liquid has completely evaporated and the peels have a glossy appearance with a slightly golden colour at the edges, the peel jam is almost ready.
- Transfer the mixture to sterilised and thoroughly dried jars.
- If you plan to consume the jam within a few days, skip the pasteurisation step. It's worth placing the excess jam in jars and putting them in an oven preheated to about 120 degrees Celsius for half an hour.
