MANILA, Philippines?What can you do with potatoes aside from French fries?

The question was posed to 13 chefs from different restaurants and hotels, who in no time took on the challenge and came up with great-tasting dishes using frozen potatoes.

The culinary showdown, dubbed ?Potato-bilities Recipe Challenge: Pinoy na Pinoy na Potato,? was held last week at the Activity Center of SM North Edsa?s The Block. Organized by the United States Potato Board (USPB) with the US Department of Agriculture and Synergy Asia, it aimed to bring US frozen potatoes closer to the Filipino diet.

?Because of the rising prices of rice, wheat, and corn worldwide, there is grave concern over the risk of food shortages,? said Reji Retugal-Onal, Synergy Asia vice president for marketing and business development. ?Global attention is turning to an age-old crop that could help address the food crisis?the potato. It is the world?s number one non-grain food commodity which can be enjoyed anytime.?

Filipinos are said to be huge consumers of frozen potatoes, especially after the fast-food boom. Onal said the Philippines is the largest market for US potatoes in Southeast Asia, and is the seventh largest destination for US frozen potato exports.

?Food service sales are currently valued at approximately $3 billion, increasing by an estimated 15-20 percent per year in the past decade,? said Onal.

Because they have more than warmed up to frozen potatoes, Filipinos can test their creativity to use the lowly root crop to reinvent favorite Filipino dishes.

The 13 challengers used mashed potatoes, half-shell potatoes, potato skin, wedges and hash browns.

Grand prize winner Liza Decasa of Annabel?s Restaurant presented Potato Pinangat, a spicy dish of taro leaves cooked in coconut milk with potato wedges and shrimp paste and garnished with banana blossoms. Decasa bagged P25,000 worth of gift certificates from Gourdo?s.

Second placer Rene Lechuga, also of Annabel?s, showed off Potato Bibingka Espesyal, a native dessert of mashed potato and rice flour with yema sauce and coconut cream and caged in coconut sweetmeat or bukayo. He won P20,000 worth of gift certificates from Gourdo?s.

Kabisera ng Dencio?s Editha Singian placed third for her Guinataang Hipon sa Bangka at Tamales, which used frozen half shells filled with shrimps and vegetables and topped with alagaw and chili leaves. The Tamales had mashed potatoes and shrimp salsa wrapped in wilted banana leaves. The recipe earned Singian P15,000 worth of gift certificates from Gourdo?s.

Other challengers included Alwin Estorninos (Highland Steakhouse), Christin Castillo (Tagaytay Highlands International Golf Club), Marte Dimailig (Tagaytay Highlands), Jonathan Pahila (Tagaytay Highlands), Arlene Sales (Tagaytay Highlands), Albert Paano (Oody?s Rice Noodles N? Bar), George Padon (Discovery Suites), Renan Ignacio (Discovery Suites), Carlos Baba (Ascott), and Jolyn Canindo (Discovery Suites). They all received certificates of participation from the US Potato Board.

Winners were chosen based on their creativity, innovation, taste, presentation and adherence to the Pinoy theme. Judges were David Wolfe, USDA agricultural attaché, and chef Thad Gayanelo, member of the USDA Council of Chefs and instructor at the Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts (Mihca).

During the competition, it was announced that 2008 has been declared the International Year of the Potato by the United Nations. This helps raise awareness of the key role played by the ?humble tuber? in agriculture, the economy and world food security.

Potato is rich in vitamins C and B6. It is also one of the most concentrated sources of potassium, even more than bananas, oranges, and mushrooms. Contrary to popular beliefs, frozen potatoes contain the same amount of nutritional value and health benefits as fresh potatoes. Freezing does not diminish vitamin level as nutrients are immediately sealed within.

Try these winning recipes at home.

Potato Pinangat
(Liza Decasa, Annabel?s Restaurant, grand prize winner)

2 k frozen wedge potatoes
? k onion, coarsely chopped
250 g shrimp paste
500 g coconut cream, thick
2 tsp iodized salt
? tsp white pepper
40 pc taro leaves, big
4 tsp vegetable oil
Sauce:
1 l coconut milk, thin
50 g fresh turmeric, chopped
30 g chili finger
2 tsp iodized salt
? tbsp granulated sugar
Garnish:
80 pc dried banana blossoms

For pinangat, sauté onion and shrimp paste in oil under low fire till onions have sweat. Add potatoes. Continue to cook till potatoes are heated through.

Pour coconut cream into the pan with the mixture and slowly bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Divide the simmered potato mix into the taro leaves and wrap the inside. Set aside till service.

For the sauce, mix together coconut milk, finger chili and turmeric in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer in low heat for five minutes. Put the potato wrapped in taro leaves mixture in the sauce and let it cook till the leaves are tender and cooked through.

Strain the cooked taro leaves from the sauce and set it aside. As for the sauce, let it reduce more to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the cooked pinangat on the center of a large dinner plate and pour the sauce over it. Garnish the dish with fried banana blossoms. Serve while hot.

Potato Bibingka Espesyal
(Rene Lechuga, Annabel?s, first runner-up)

Batter:
150 g mashed potato
? c water
30 g rice flour
Pinch iodized salt
25 g white sugar
1 pc egg
1 tbsp clarified butter
1 tsp baking powder

Topping:
? pc salted egg
15 g young coconut
20 g kesong puti
5 g butter

Yema Sauce:
25 ml condensed milk
10 ml fresh milk
? tsp lemon zest
? tsp lemon juice

Coconut Cream:
5 ml whipped cream
5 ml coconut milk

Bukayo Cage:
100 g coconut
50 g sugar

To make the batter, preheat oven to 340?C. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour mixture on a greased baking pan and carefully arrange the toppings. Place batter inside oven for approximately 20 minutes.

For the yema sauce, boil a whole can of condensed milk in a sauce pot full of water for two hours to attain yema consistency. Add zest, lemon juice and fresh milk to add flavor and to make it smooth.

For the coconut cream, beat cream and coco milk separately till foamy or it doubles its volume. Once each has been whipped combine both mixture.

To make the bukayo cage, simply caramelize the sugar then add the coconut, stir till thick but not too thick.

Guinataang Hipon sa Bangka at Tamales
(Editha Singian, Kabisera ng Dencio?s, 2nd runner-up)

16 pc US frozen half shells
Assorted baby lettuce
Vegetable filling
Guinataang hipon suahe
Kesong puti
Tamales

Method of preparation:
To make vegetable filling, mix together 2 tbsp diced carrots, 2 tbsp diced red bell pepper, 2 tbsp diced celery, 2 tbsp diced cucumber, 2 tbsp diced squash, 2 tbsp diced ripe mango, 2 tbsp diced avocado (optional), 2 tbsp Arengga vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp chopped fresh wansuy or dill weeds and salt and pepper to taste.

To make guinataang hipon: in a saucepan, bring to a boil 1 c coconut cream (first extraction) with 1 tsp fresh turmeric juice, 1 tbsp chopped shallots, 1? tbsp minced garlic, 2 pc finger chilis, 3 pc minced bird?s-eye red peppers (labuyo), ? tsp salt and pepper. Stir constantly till thick. Add ? k hipon suahe (blanched and shelled) and ? c sliced alagaw tops or sili leaves. Cook further until cooked.

To make tamales with frozen mashed potatoes and guinataang hipon salsa: in a pan, toast 300 g rice flour until lightly golden. Off heat, mix 1 sachet of Kare-Kare Peanut Sauce Mix, 1 c muscovado sugar and 3? c coconut milk. Cook until thick over low heat, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and burning. Add 1 c of frozen mashed potatoes and ? c guinataang hipon salsa. Continue cooking over low heat to mix well. In greased muffin cups, arrange slices of cooked chicken, ham and hard-boiled eggs. Fill with tamales mixture. Or, wrap in wilted banana leaves. Steam for one hour.

To assemble: Fry frozen half shells for two minutes. Line shells with baby lettuce leaves. Fill with vegetable filling then top with slices of kesong puti and guinataang hipon. Arrange on serving plate and garnish with sprouts or kutchay as paddles. Serve with tamales.