Today is National Potato Day and I couldn’t starch this day without recognizing the amazingness that is the potato.

But first let’s get to the root of it. It dates back to 8,000 B.C. when the Incas planted the first potato. It was brought to Europe in 1536 when the Spanish invaded Peru.

The U.S. didn’t adopt the potato as a main part of their dish until the late 1800’s. In fact they were the last major country to do so.

Since then, the potato became the first vegetable to grow in space in 1995 thanks to the teamwork of NASA and University of Wisconsin.

Potatoes get a bad rep sometimes as not being good for you but taters gonna tate. Potatoes actually offer a lot of health benefits like reducing cholesterol, improves digestion, protects your skin thus reducing signs of aging, and helps with insomnia. What you got now tater haters?

So what’s the a-PEEL of it? Well only the obvious. We can do so much with it. Baked potato, mashed potato, sweet potato, potato salad, potato skins, potato chips, potato soup, hash browns, French fries, tater tots…wow! That’s a latke. The varieties are spudtacular.

So are the jokes.

  • What’s a potato’s favorite tv show? Starch Wars.
  • What potatoes are in the best shape? Hash browns. They’re totally shredded!
  • What kind of potato tells dad jokes? a CHEESY potato!

And completely unrelated, Friday is National Radio Day so don’t forget to butter up your favorite radio DJs.

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And while we're at it, drop your favorite potato (any potato) recipe in the comments.

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