Every month we feature a fruit or vegetable that is in season, along with a fun fact or recipe idea.

Ah, the humble potato. If you go out for a stroll in the countryside you’ll surely see fields and fields of them growing, and the first harvests being brought in. Although admittedly there are more exciting vegetables, the potato is a versatile and delicious staple, and shouldn’t be overlooked.

The potato is Malta’s most famous agricultural export product and is considered a delicacy in other potato loving countries such as the Netherlands. The exchange of potatoes and seed potatoes between the two countries has been happening for over a century, and inspired the Poetry in Potato Bags initiative, which is a collaboration between Valletta and Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, the two cities sharing the title of Capital of Culture in 2018.

This year we published the AgroKatina report about the local fruit & vegetable supply chain, and the pocket guide highlighting when local fruits & veggies are in season. Find out more on www.foemalta.org/agrokatina, where you can also order a free copy of the pocket guide.

Here is a delicious recipe for Maltese oven-roasted potatoes (patata fil-forn):

Ingredients:

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius
2. Peel and finely slice potatoes. Slice the onions thinly. Crush or finely chop the garlic.
3. In an oven proof dish place the onions on the bottom and combine with a little olive oil.
4. Mix the veggie stock with herbs, tomato paste, salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic.
5. Spread the sliced potatoes on top of the onions
6. Pour the stock mix over the potatoes and make sure the potatoes are covered throughout.
7. Drizzle a little extra olive oil on top, this will ensure a crisp top. Add a little extra sea salt to the top.
8. Bake in the oven for around one hour, depending on how crispy you like it.

This activity has been funded with support from the EU and co-financed by the Ministry for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs, and Civil Liberties. This project reflects the views only of the author, and funders cannot be held responsible for the content or any use which may be made of the information contained therein.