Lunch at Watershed on Peachtree recently got me thinking about the importance of paying attention to details.
Lots of restaurants have a simple green salad on the menu, but Watershed chef Joe Truex’s version is lightly dressed with a really good olive oil-based vinaigrette and is adorned with wafer-thin crunchy carrots dressed in a different vinaigrette with bits of fresh herbs before they’re added to the greens. Pecans are toasted first then tossed into the salad.
More delicious details in the chicken paillard entree include the surprise of perfectly fried bites of crispy eggplant, tomatoes roasted to concentrate flavors, and tiny capers that taste pickled, not super salty. Instead of whole olives plunked on the plate, precise little slices of green olives add more punctuation marks of flavor to the dish.
As a registered dietitian, I think that adding bright and sometimes unexpected ingredients to dishes helps us slow down and savor what we’re eating so we’re more satisfied even when it’s a little green salad or a lighter entree such as the simple sauteed chicken breast.
Next time at Watershed, I’m going to order the pork schnitzel for lunch because I can’t wait to try the warm sweet potato salad with bacon creole mustard dressing.
Details on potato nutrition
Speaking of potatoes, did you know you don’t have to order sweet potatoes to make a healthy choice? Yes, compared to white potatoes, deep orange vegetables such as sweet potatoes do contain more disease-fighting beta carotene, the nutrient that our bodies turn into vitamin A. But white potatoes deserve some dietary attention, too, because their nutritional beauty is more than skin-deep.
“There is a perception that the dietary fiber in the potato is only in the skin,” says Maureen Storey, of the Alliance for Potato Research and Education. “Although the skin is an excellent source of dietary fiber, it is also found in the flesh of the potato, which is a good source by itself.”
Here are the details on fiber content in a 3-ounce serving: baked potato, 2.2 grams; sweet potato, 3.3 grams; and french fried potato, 4.2 grams (source: U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Nutrient Database). Why are fries higher in fiber? The frying process draws water out of the potato so the flesh is more concentrated, therefore higher in fiber per bite.
While bananas often get top billing, white potatoes are an excellent source of the mineral potassium, important for heart health. Most Americans don’t consume enough dietary fiber or potassium, so enjoying a baked potato, side of fries or roasted potatoes as a side dish can help fill in nutrient gaps. How’s that for a delicious nutrition detail?
