Spiral cut potatoes have special appeal

Spiral cut potatoes have special appeal

To the editor:
    Korea has potatoes. Small plots of them can be found now that they are blooming. Most of these plots are like the gardens back home. But the plants are out there and they look good. 

    Traveling overseas allows new ideas to come into view. One of these is the alternative potato serving. A few of you may remember one of the Ron Popeil products that would allow you to make spiral vegetable cuts. The device was a little knife blade that had a pivot point. Inserting the point into the center of the vegetable you could twist the knife blade around the center and create spirals of vegetables. The Koreans have self contained machines that do this.
    Put a small potato into it. Anchor the point and a little motor turns the knife cutting the spud into a spiral. Take it out of the machine and the potato looks whole. Next, take a bamboo stick, the type you would use for Shish kabobs and push it through the center of the potato. Suddenly you have a spiral cut spud on a stick! Dip this into hot oil, french fry hot! Let the spud cook and rotate through the oil. The Koreans use a wok for this. As soon as the potato is light gold in color, move the stick to another wok with hotter oil. This second frying gives the potato a crispier texture. Once it is done, the potato is crispy and a deep golden brown its drained of its fat, rolled in salt and pepper and given to the customer. One of these will cost you 2,000 won which is about $2. They are popular.
    Using spuds that are on the small side, a typical street vendor can make a tidy profit. From the large crowds that gather around the carts selling these delicacies, the potato is enjoying a life of its own on the streets of Korea. Sounds like a great fund-raiser for some school group back home. Now for some cheese to go with them.