Klondike Rose Raspberry Cheesecake
Boldly go where no man has gone before. Explore new territories beyond baked, mashed and fried potatoes – the humble potato has grown weary of being relegated to a side dish. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, potatoes can play a leading role in your meals as well as a supporting role in many dishes, including desserts.
As a guest of the Idaho Potato Commission for a Potato Harvest tour earlier this month, our group of food bloggers and chefs visited 4th generation Hoff Family Farms and dug potatoes in the fields with Lynn Wilcox of Floyd Wilcox & Sons.
Lynn Wilcox of Floyd Wilcox & Sons and two young ladies working off-loading equipment.
Schools are closed for a week at the beginning of the potato harvest season, so farmers have the help they need.
Trust me once you’ve been up close and personal with a shovel and the earth, seen and talked with the men and women behind the scenes, and learned about the state-of-the-art technology employed to sort, grade, and store millions of potatoes a year, you’ll never look at a potato the same way.
The next day we visited Potandon Produce, a privately held, independent company owned by a group of managers, grower/shippers, and other individuals and entities. They are a full-line (wholesale, retail and food service) supplier of fresh potatoes and onions and own the exclusive license rights to market their many varieties of potatoes and onions utilizing the Green Giant® Fresh brand in North America as well as new varieties of potatoes such as the Klondike Rose® marketed under the name Klondike Brand Potatoes.
You won’t find a specimen of this magnitude in the grocery store because gargantuan potatoes like this are sold to food service. Details.
We tasted potatoes in their raw form, new varieties of potatoes like the Klondike Rose® , Klondike Goldust® and Gourmet Medley® fingerlings. From their test kitchen came Potato Croquettes, Potato Crust Pizza, Potato Frittata, and, most memorable to me, Raspberry Cheesecake made with riced Klondike Rose® potatoes mixed with cream cheese. Neither the taste nor texture were compromised and it was as deliciously rich and creamy as any cheesecake I’ve ever had. The cup of potatoes add nutrients and fiber and less fat to the cheesecake.
Potato Croquettes, Potato Crust Pizza, Purple Potato Frittata, and Klondike Rose Raspberry Cheesecake
We learned about the selection process for new varieties and how long it takes to get them to market (10 years). We watched an interesting and informative presentation, participated in a lively Q & A discussion of topics with Quality Assurance Manager Jack Kelley, and tasted an amazing array of potato dishes cooked up in their corporate kitchen with an animated Chef Bryan Woolley describing each one and signing a Klondike Brands potato cookbook for each one of us to take home.
Let’s get to that recipe… P.S. besides the Raspberry Cheesecake, we also had some amazing potato doughnuts and beignets with chipotle chocolate sauce, so stay tuned!
Klondike Rose Raspberry Cheesecake
Recipe courtesy of Chef Bryan Woolley | Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
Basic Butter Crust:
1-1/2 cups unbleached flour*
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
Cheesecake filling:
3-8 ounce packages cream cheese (room temperature)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup Klondike Rose potatoes, riced
1/4 cup cornstarch
6 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons almond extract
1/3 cup raspberry jam
*Note: potatoes are naturally gluten free, you may substitute gluten-free flour in the crust for a gluten-free cheesecake.
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Basic Butter Crust:
1. Add flour baking powder and sugar to a large bowl and whisk
2. Using a pastry cutter, cut butter into flour mixture
3. Press dough into a 9-inch springform pan
4. Bake in 350 degree oven until a golden color. Approximately 30 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
Cheesecake filling:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, riced Klondike Rose potatoes and cornstarch for three minutes on high. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature and the potatoes have been riced, not mashed.
2. On low speed, add each egg one at a time and completely incorporate until blended. Be sure to scrape the bow after each egg.
3. Add the lemon zest, vanilla and almond extract. Gently blend to incorporate.
4. Pour batter into a crust-lined 9-inch springform pan.
5. Bake in a 250 degree oven until set (about 2 hours).
Enjoy 🙂
Thank you to the Idaho Potato Commission for this memorable potato harvest tour!
Ally's Kitchen
October 24 at 4:36 pmI’ve never even thought of potatoes and cheesecake! And, I love going where no others go! Haven’t ‘riced’ potatoes either, so I’ll have to Google and learn…that’s what I love about your posts, Priscilla…they let me explore new culinary adventures and expand my knowledge base…like my own littl’ culinary classes!! Thank you, my friend! 🙂
[email protected]'s Recipes
October 24 at 9:29 pmPotato in cheesecake….why not?! They look awesome!
laura (Tutti Dolci)
October 26 at 9:27 amWhat an intriguing idea, I imagine the potatoes would add great texture!