The head of the Washington State Potato Commission says he's sick of people linking spuds to junk food. So, starting Friday, Chris Voigt says he's going to eat nothing for 60 days except potatoes.
Twenty potatoes a day. And no cheating with cheese toppings or bacon bits.
Why? "I woke up one day and said, 'I'm tired of getting beaten up,' Voigt said, according to MyNorthwest.com. "The potato has a pretty poor reputation in the U.S., and it's time to do something extreme to wake them up to just how great the potato really is."
Potatoes are rich in potassium, fiber, vitamin C and other nutrients and have plenty of protein, Voigt said.
He wrote in his blog that he will eat "many processed potato products such as chips, dehydrated potatoes and frozen potatoes" but nothing that adds nutritional value. Seasonings and herbs are OK, he wrote, but "no creamy scalloped or cheesy twice baked."
He will have some of his taters cooked in oil, on the advice of a dietitian he consulted who was concerned about the absence of fat in a potatoes-only diet.
Boredom and temptation will likely arise, Voigt told MyNorthwest.com. "My family is excited about this diet," he told the site. "But they're not about to join me. So they'll be eating steak or a roast or chicken, and I guess I'll just have to sit there and stare."
You can follow his starchy culinary journey via his website.