Foraged food under the snow? Sure! After a recent snowfall, I walked down the road a bit to Magic Lake, where I found loads of bright green watercress ripe and ready under a fresh blanket of white stuff.
Watercress grows year ’round in aquatic and semi-aquatic environments. It is chock full of iron, calcium and folic acid as well as Vitamins A and C, and is one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by humans. Its slightly bitter taste is reminiscent of mustard greens or radish, which explains why it has fallen out of favour with our sugar-addicted pallets of today.
Unlike in love, a little bit of bitterness can be a good thing when it comes to taste.
A few sprigs of watercress in a salad adds depth, especially mid-winter, when store-bought lettuce is particularly tasteless. Rather than allowing it to languish, alone on some lacklustre crustless sandwiches served at the midway point of a cricket match, why not dress it in a little olive oil and lemon, then add it to a panini filled with prosciutto? Or how about a warming bowl of watercress soup to warm you on a cold February’s night? Once you start, you’ll start using a little bit everywhere — especially if you’ve found a source close to home.
Aside from foraging, you’ll also find watercress near the herbs and lettuces at the supermarket. Watercress is used extensively in Chinese cuisine, so if you’re having trouble finding it, try an Asian grocery store.
In the video, I accidentally say 1 tablespoon of curry powder instead of 1 teaspoon. Start small, then add more if you like it spicy!
Double Baked Potato with Watercress, Curry & Coconut Milk
Serves 2
| Russet Potatoes, baked & cooled | 2 | |
| Coconut Milk | ¼ C | 60 ml |
| Green Onions, chopped | 2 | |
| Curry Powder | 1-2 t | 5-10 ml |
| Sugar | ½ t | 3 ml |
| Watercress, stems removed & chopped | ¼ C | 60 ml |
| s+p | TT | |
| Chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, etc. to top |
C=Cup ml=millilitres t=teaspoon TT=to taste
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the shells and into a bowl. Mash the potatoes with a fork until smooth, then add the coconut milk, sugar, green onions, curry powder and watercress. Mix well and season with s+p.
Spoon the mixture back into the potato shells, and top with your choice of tomatoes, cheese. Bake the filled and topped potatoes in the oven until hot. If desired, turn on the broiler for the last 2-3 minutes to brown the tops.
Serve as a snack, a quick lunch, or as a side at dinner.
Who knew that watercress could survive a blizzard?!?!? Fascinating!
My sage survived the intial snowfalls. My watercress – not so much. This does entice. Vegan cooking never looked so comforting.
Now, that’s an interesting take on baked potatoes. I would have never thought to mix curry powder and coconut milk with taters. Sounds so exciting!
I’m not usually a bitter fan, but for some reason, like watercress – it reminds me of Trumpet of the Swan and the watercress sandwiches….
Hi, I sat down to look for inspiration on how to cook my New Year’s Eve duck and stumbled on your potatoe. Great thing! I will try it out om my vegetarian daughter ( and the rest of the family of course).
It’s kind of fun too, for me as a swedish reader, married to a danish husband to find that traditionally danish and scandinavian dishes pop up outside Canada. Your recipe on frikadeller made me cook such a dish last time I visited your site. Your recipes look fun and I’ll be back more times.
Tried this last night… Messed up the whole skin thing so I made them mashed… Wow! Yummy!!! Thank you, this recipe is a keeper! I will share with friends definetly! (and I’ll try to master keeping the skin intact!)