Potatoes may be popular all year around, but in the U.S., they are especially popular in late November, for Lá an Altaithe.  At this time, many American families will serve two or three types of potatoes with the Thanksgiving meal, and I’ve even heard of up to four types at one meal.  The two types that are almost always par for the, um, course, are “brúitín” (mashed potatoes) and “prátaí milse” (sweet potatoes, usually either “bácáilte” or “i gcasaról“).

So let’s look at some more ways of preparing spuds, and ní gá a rá, these are good for all year around.  First, I’ll list some of the basic ways of cooking them and then we’ll have a little matching game for some less typical approaches.  With pronunciation notes, where they seem advisable.

prátaí bácáilte, baked potatoes, jacket potatoes (more specifically, prátaí bácáilte ina gcraiceann)

prátaí úra bruite [BRIT^CH-uh, the “ui” is like the English “short” i sound), boiled new potatoes

prátaí bruite, boiled potatoes

prátaí brúite [BROOT^CH-uh] agus uachtar, creamed potatoes, cf. prátaí coipthe and prátaí uachtartha

prátaí coipthe, creamed potatoes, lit. “whipped potatoes,” cf. prátaí uachtartha, prátaí brúite agus uachtar

prátaí gairleoige [GAR^ZH-l^yog-yuh], garlic potatoes, lit. potatoes of garlic

prátaí peirsile [PER^ZH-il-yuh], parsley potatoes,lit. potatoes of parsley.

prátaí rósta, roast potatoes

prátaí sótáilte, sauté(ed) potatoes

prátaí uachtartha [OO-ukh-tur-huh, the 2nd “t” is silent], creamed potatoes, cf. prátaí coipthe, prátaí brúite agus uachtar

prátaí fondant, fondant potatoes (a shoo-in, translation-wise, tá a fhios agam)

sailéad prátaí, potato salad

sceallóga prátaí, chips (US: French fries).  Remember, the “sce-” sound is like “shke,” which we don’t often find in English.  In other words, the “s” has what English would normally consider a “sh” sound.  It’s the same “s” sound as in “uisce” or “fuisce.”

And a few other foods with práta as a príomhchomhábhar ([PREEV-KHOH-AW-wur], main ingredient):

arán prátaí, potato bread

arán prátaí or cáca prátaí, potato cake

brioscáin phrátaí, crisps (one of two terms for them; US: potato chip)

criospaí, crisps (the second term for them; US: potato chip)

And now for some meaitseáil (freagraí thíos), (with one extra term for good measure and for the “dúshlán“):

Gaeilge: 1) cróicéad prátaí,  2) prátaí cnagbhruite,  3) sceallóga curaithe le cáis,  4) gráitín prátaí  5) anraith prátaí 6) dingeacha práta

Béarla:

1. a) curry-and-cheese fries
2. b) croquette potato
3. c) potato gratin
4. d) parboiled potatoes
5. e) potato wedges

And just to keep you on your (pota)toes, did you notice the difference between “bruite” and “brúite“?  If not, féach an nóta faoi na freagraí eile.

Sin é don bhlag seo, but if you have any other favorite ways of cooking potatoes, please do write in and let us know.  Slán go fóill — Róislín

Freagraí

1. a) curry and cheese fries, sceallóga curaithe le cáis, technically, the English should probably be “curried fries with cheese,” since “curaithe” is “curried,” ach sin mar atá.  Curry with cheese fries as a side dish would be “curaí agus sceallóga le cáis.“
2. b) croquette potato, cróicéad prátaí
3. c) potato gratin, gráitín prátaí, (another shoo-in)
4. d) parboiled potatoes, prátaí cnagbhruite [KNAHG-VRIH-tchuh]
5. e) potato wedges, dingeacha práta [D^JING-yuh-khuh]

And the spare answer (an rogha bhreise [un row VR^zhESH-uh, the extra choice) was anraith [UN-ruh, with the “t” silent] prátaí, potato soup.

Nóta: bruite, short “i” pronunciation; the “u” is basically silent, serving mostly to make the “r” broad – “cooked  / boiled”

brúite, long “u” pronunciation – “mashed,” from the verb “brúigh“