Well, y’all, it was another exciting week in the garden for us.

About two months ago, my father-in-law came to visit, and with him he brought us a few of his seed potatoes. He told us to cut them into smaller pieces and make sure each piece had an “eye” on it (the little spot where the root grows) before burying them just under the soil in our raised garden bed.

He advised us on when to harvest them – when the tops of the green plants turn yellow and start to fade – and to watch how often we watered them. Soil that is too wet can lead to the seed potatoes rotting in the ground before harvest.

He also gave us another tip: When you harvest them, dust them off and store them somewhere cool and dark, but do not wash them until you’re ready to eat them. Washing your potatoes prematurely causes them to rot faster, he said.

If you’re like me, you might be curious as to why that is. No worries, I Googled it for us. According to gardening experts with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, washing produce before storing it makes it rot faster primarily because trapped moisture accelerates mold growth and bacterial decay. Plus, the physical process of washing and rubbing can create tiny, invisible tears in the skin of delicate produce, giving bacteria an easy pathway to invade the flesh.

Which explains why my strawberries were covered in white mold the day after I mistakenly washed the entire container instead of just the few I wanted to eat – the more you know, right?

Anyway, we had never tried to grow our own potatoes, but we always wanted to. So we followed his instructions exactly and, lo and behold, ended up with an exciting, beautiful basket full.

In fact, we were so successful in our endeavor that, as Austin lifted them one by one from the soil, I began to hear Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue’s infamous shrimp monologue in my head.

You know the scene. In the movie Forrest Gump, when Forrest meets his “best good friend,” Bubba, during Army training. As they get to know each other, Bubba tells Forrest about shrimping and lists every way to prepare his absolute favorite food.

“Shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad …”

My own inner monologue sounded similar.

“Potato soup, potato au gratin, roasted, fried, smashed …”

Because I’ve been tight on time this week, I settled for what many might consider the easiest way to prepare a potato: smashed.

The recipe I chose was Ina Garten’s top-rated Parmesan Smashed Potatoes.

Plus, I had everything I needed to make a simple shepherd’s pie. Shepherd’s pie really appeals to me because it’s fast, uses essentially one pot (besides the pot you boil your potatoes in) and is foolproof – simply brown ground protein and a few chopped vegetables and season however you like. Truly, dealer’s choice – it’s hard to mess up a shepherd’s pie.

I got my potatoes scrubbed, chopped and boiling on the stove while I went ahead and got my big cast-iron pot out. I browned my ground turkey, tossed in some presliced frozen carrots (speed hack!), a can of chickpeas, seasonings and tomato paste. I let those ingredients simmer and the flavors meld together as I prepared the smashed potatoes according to Garten’s recipe.

The results were phenomenal.

The potatoes were everything we hoped for: rich, creamy and flavorful. And, the joy of eating something you grew in your own garden with no pesticides is unmatched.

I hope you’ll hear me when I say, if I can grow my own potatoes, so can you. Even if you’re short on space, you can grow them in a small sack of dirt.
And if you’re looking for more information than I provided here, I recommend visiting the Mississippi State University Extension Service website to learn more from the experts at MSU.

If you need me, I’ll be outside politely thanking the garden and scheming about what exciting thing I’ll plant in the vacant spot the potatoes left behind.

INA GARTEN’S PARMESAN SMASHED POTATOES

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
3 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
■ Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a 4-quart saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender. Drain.
■ In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half and butter until warm.
■ Place the potatoes in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for a few seconds to break them up. Slowly add the hot cream mixture, continuing to mix on the lowest speed. Fold in the last quarter of the cream mixture by hand.
■ Fold in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, remaining salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
■ Serve immediately. If the potatoes are too thick, add additional hot cream mixture until they reach the desired consistency.