As a plate is carried to a table and the diner registers their first visual impression, the brain is already hard at work determining taste. The creative visual interest signals to the eater a delicious meal is about to commence. Whether the phrase “eat first with your eyes” was first coined in the 1^st-century cookbook “Apicius” or not, culinarians have long understood that a visually stunning plate gives a leg-up on the taste scale. Beyond the dish being Instagrammable, it influences the diner’s perception of taste before lifting a fork. 

Enhancing aesthetic appeal 
Intentionally creating textures and flavors helps chefs convey sensory information about the dish. (Read the Gold Medal Classroom story, “Taste Happens in the Brain (Not Just the Mouth)” for more information on this phenomenon.) Instructing culinary students how to achieve this with potatoes offers educators an approachable canvas for teaching a variety of techniques at an affordable cost.

Instructors can utilize potatoes by building on students’ basic information and teaching how to create interest from there. For example, illustrating three types of baked potatoes: baked, twice baked and Hasselback demonstrates the flat canvas of the baked potato, the lifted and light effect of the twice-baked and the interesting fan-like slices of the Hasselback, with each version amping up the artful-looking potato. 

Teaching how to create visual interest with potatoes offers instructors a virtually risk-free R&D opportunity. The economical potato is allergen-free and available year-round. The neutral color – one of the few white vegetables – offers a blank canvas where colors and textures can be layered. Visually interesting potato structures can also be an accompaniment or a main-stage application. 

Shapes and layers 
Surprising a diner with unusual shapes and textures engages their brain before the first bite as if to say, “This is not a rose on my plate but a beautiful fried potato.” Another idea that might have a diner taking a second look is hollowed-out baby red Idaho potatoes and a deviled filling that looks very similar to stuffed mushroom caps. 

Chef Adam Moore, chef and founder of Flashpoint Innovation, suggests incorporating creativity in shapes and garnishes. “For example, a deep-fried potato skin garnish adds height, visual appeal and crunch,” he said. “Try using a melon baller to get outside common potato shapes.” 

Using a mandolin to create sheets perfect for layering is a visually interesting technique, according to Chef Moore. Potato pavé is a delicious example where a cook cuts thin potato rectangles, soaks the slices in cream, shingles them in a pan and then bakes them. The potato layers are then refrigerated with an added weight on top that helps compress the layers. When ready for service, the layered slices are trimmed and cut into serving pieces and pan fried. “The small individual corners slightly stick out, get crispy and add interest,” Chef Moore said. 

Chef Moore also suggested using the familiar French fry, both shoestring and steak cut, to create height and intrigue. Shoestring potatoes can top a food to add height or a protein can be nestled into the nested fries. Using steak fries, a chef can saddle notch each fry end and stack the fries like a Lincoln Log house. 

Curbing creativity
As with many culinary aspects, a chef can create a delicious innovation in a test kitchen, but how it holds up during a dinner service must be considered. Chef Moore suggests starting with understanding the operations side of the kitchen to provide a framework for the research and development of a signature dish. “Speed of service needs to be considered,” he said. “Sitting under a heat lamp may ruin a hot and crispy dish.” 

Options such as potato pavé are cooked twice, increasing the chances of both overcooking and undercooking the dish at each point. “You might have the perfect shape but if the dish is undercooked and not tender it doesn’t work,” Chef Moore noted.  

Another consideration is determining the application’s portion size and how it augments the plate. A chef can use a full-size russet Idaho potato for a Hasselback but may not offer another large, filling item on the plate. Conversely, the size and quantity of cut pavé pieces depend  on the other plated food items. “A chef needs to be intentional about a plate’s texture and flavor profile,” said Adam Moore.  

This intentionality leads to a visually appealing plate that excites the brain and – secondly – may excite the hands to photograph the Instragrammable-dish before the first delicious bite is taken. 

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Photos courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission: 
Rosas del Campo photo credited to Micole Rivera Suarez.
Potato Pave Tots with Caviar photo credited to Jason Halverson. 
Vegan deviled Idaho Red Potatoes photo credited to Cristopher Williams.
Vegan Hasselback Potato with Red Pepper Jelly and Caramelized Onions photo credited to Shawn "Radar" Burnette.