Potatoes in Uniform

Potatoes in Russia are like a second bread. This nourishing and inexpensive vegetable is the staple food of most Russian families, especially those which are not so well-off. And there are a great many potato-based dishes. But, surprisingly, this was not always the case. In fact, not long ago, Russians had to be forced to plant potatoes.

From the beginning, the history of the potato in Russia has been closely linked with men in uniform. Legend has it that the potato was brought from Holland by Peter the Great, a man who dearly loved to wear a uniform. He decided that this down-to-earth crop would help to feed the hungry people of Russia forever. And, in 1797, a government decree ordered potatoes (called “ground apples” by one contemporary scientist) to be planted throughout the country.

But Russian peasants, always suspicious of changes imposed by their leaders, had no desire to grow these foreign tubers. The Old Believers, in particular, refused to eat potatoes, christening them “the Devil’s Apple.” So, the legend goes, Peter had to resort to trickery — sending soldiers to guard the potatoes. The peasants thought: well, these things are being guarded, so they must be good. And, as the soldiers purposefully kept only half an eye on the potatoes, the peasants began to steal them and drag them back to their own plots. 

The truth is that it was not nearly such an easy transition. For, even as late as the middle of the last century, the potato was still a culinary oddity and not very widespread in Russia. So, in 1840, the government issued another decree ordering peasants to plant potatoes on common lands. This resulted in a series of “potato riots,” which led the government to back off from forcing cultivation of the potato, at which point peasants began to accept potatoes, especially as a staple for the poor. So it was that, in the lean years of revolution and war at the beginning of this century, the tuber saved many lives, particularly among men in uniform, for whom the potato was a favorite food. Soldiers on the march had no time to clean potatoes, so they would boil them right in the skin.

Meanwhile, at the turn of the century, potatoes attracted the attention of the Russian intelligentsia and fans of folk curiosities alike. It became all the rage to eat unpeeled potatoes on picnics, where they were given the intriguing name “potatoes in uniform.”

By the way, the soldiers were quite right not to waste time peeling potatoes. As modern nutrition science has shown, the majority of the potato’s useful vitamins and minerals are contained in its outer layer, which is scraped off with the skin when the potato is peeled. Therefore, potatoes for salads are now boiled in the skin, which is then gently removed.

Nowadays, Russians take simple jacket potatoes on trips. No recipe is needed to make them. Just throw clean, unpeeled potatoes into salted water and boil until they can be easily pierced by a knife. But at home, we suggest a special “potato in uniform.” It doesn’t take much longer to prepare, and its taste is a pure delight.

–Yelena Utenkova

Potatoes in Uniform

Take medium-sized potatoes and wash clean. Cut in half lengthwise. Rub the cut edges with mayonnaise, sprinkle with grated cheese, add minced garlic and salt to taste. Then set the potato halves in a hot oven and bake until they can be easily pierced with a knife and the cut edges are covered with a golden crust.