Spud Lab Spotlight: Connecting Consumers with Nutritious, Budget-Friendly Spud Recipes

It’s been three months since our last report on the Spud Lab, and Chef RJ Harvey, Director of Culinary at Potatoes USA, and Executive Sous Chef Aurora Hollenbeck have been hard at work bringing together chefs, growers, and others in the food industry to connect more consumers with nutritious, budget-friendly ways to eat potatoes.

Western Growers’ Future Leaders

In September, the Spud Lab hosted Western Growers’ Future Leaders, a group of produce growers dedicated to promoting the agriculture industry. Chef RJ delivered a show-stopping menu of potato dishes that ranged from hash brown bruschetta with mushroom ragout and goat cheese mousse to chai masala spiced caramel apple whoopie pies with whipped vanilla custard, sea salt caramel and potato chip crunchies. One participant described the menu as “unreal,” adding she is “obsessed with the Spud Lab.”

Potato Industry Chef’s Council

Potatoes USA recently convened the Potato Industry Chef’s Council at the Spud Lab to explore emerging trends in foodservice, retail, and consumer behavior. During this event, industry chefs collaborated in the kitchen to create innovative potato dishes inspired by the latest culinary trends, ensuring the industry remains a leader in culinary innovation.

Consumer Recipe Development

Chef Aurora has been working with Potatoes USA’s consumer team to develop recipes focused on fueling workouts and cooking on a budget — all with an eye toward enticing more Gen Z consumers toward potatoes.

Recent consumer recipe themes have included post-workout recipes, eating healthy on a budget, and “cook once, eat twice.”

“We do research to see what’s popular and trending and what Gen Z actually wants,” Chef Aurora said. “Then we come together to discuss what works and what can be created within the confines of a typical consumer’s kitchen.”

You can check out some of Chef Aurora’s creations here:

• Potato Protein Mousse
• Powered by Potatoes Baked Oatmeal
• Potato Pizza Cups
• Potato Bagels
• Ranch Potato Poppers with Dill Pickle Dip

National Pork Board

In November the Spud Lab hosted a webinar with the National Pork Board, demonstrating to an audience of dietitians and chefs different ways to pair potatoes with pork in various cultural cuisines. With food waste reduction as a theme, Chefs RJ and Aurora showcased how one meal can be repurposed into another using the entirety of the available product. They made a version of lomo saltado (a Peruvian stir-fried meat and potato dish with pork instead of beef and grilled petite potatoes instead of fries) where the leftover roasted pork was adapted into a caldo verde (green chili pork and potato stew) with crispy potato cracklings on top.