What to use instead of potato
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Starchy binder in a puree, kofta or brandade
The starch granules swell and gel as they cook, so mashed potato holds emulsified oil and salt cod together or binds a dumpling with no flour at all.
Celeriac, boiledRan out
1:1 by weight
Binds nearly as well with a celery and parsley flavour. The puree sits looser and comes out off-white.
Cooked white beans, mashedRan out
1:1 by weight
Binds hard and tastes beany. Denser on the plate, so loosen it with 2 tbsp more oil or stock.
Cauliflower, boiled and dried out in the panRan out
1:1 by weight, dried in the pan 2 minutes
Much wetter and it binds far less, so the mix needs 2 tbsp of starch. Tastes green and faintly sulphurous next to potato.
Parsnip with potato flakes to bindRan out
3/4 the weight in parsnip + 1/4 cup potato flakes
Sweet and aromatic, and it will not hold on its own, which is the job the flakes are doing.
What doesn't work: Sweet potato. Its starch gels differently and it carries far more sugar and water, so a brandade stays slack and a kofta falls apart in the oil.
Chunks that hold their shape in a curry or stew
A waxy or medium potato keeps enough structure through 30 minutes of simmering to stay in cubes while it drinks up the sauce around it.
Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoesRan out
1:1 by weight
Holds together far better than a floury variety. Creamier inside and the cut edges stay clean.
Taro, peeled and cubedRan out
1:1 by weight
Softer and slightly slippery, and it thickens the sauce more. Cook it a few minutes less than potato.
Turnip or swedeRan out
1:1 by weight
Holds up well and tastes peppery and sweeter. The curry comes out lighter and the pieces stay firmer to the bite.
Carrot chunks with potato flakes to thickenRan out
1:1 by weight, plus 1 tbsp flakes at the end
Sweeter and firmer, and it never breaks down, so the sauce stays thin unless the flakes go in.
What doesn't work: Russet or other floury potatoes in a long-simmered curry. They shed starch and collapse after about twenty minutes, so the sauce thickens to paste and the chunks disappear into it.
Green patches under the skin are solanine and taste bitter. Cut them out deep rather than peeling past them.