Why You Should Save Your Potato Peels

Of all the compostable trimmings that show up on a regular basis, potato peels might seem like the least likely ones you'd want to save. Maybe you don't really peel your potatoes to begin with. Maybe after making super crispy smashed potatoes for a crowd, you just don't have it in you to save the scraps. That's all legitimate, but if you have them around, you should hang on to your potato peelings. Why? Because they are delicious.

You've heard of potato skins as an appetizer, or maybe you've watched the Netflix movie The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Either way, you're probably aware that potato skins are perfectly edible—you just want to scrub them pretty well to get rid of the grime and dirt they accumulate. But maybe you never really connected those leftover potato peels with the delights of a twice-baked potato skin, loaded up with sour cream or salsa or cheese. Friends: It's time.

When you peel a potato, you're essentially doing all the work to make very delicious crispy bits of potato peel. All you do is toss those peels in oil and salt, roast them in a 400-degree oven until they're nice and crispy, and you have a perfect bonus snack or appetizer for the people in your life waiting for the other part of the potato to be done. They taste like super crispy French fries, and they definitely would not go awry with the addition of chives or other potato-friendly condiments.

Not only does this prevent waste in your kitchen, it also has a lot of nutritional benefits. After all, the skin has just as many nutrients as the flesh of the potato—roughly the same amount of protein, vitamin C, and iron. That means when you peel a potato and just compost or throw out the peelings, you're dumping half of the potato's nutrients. That's a bad deal for you and for the potato! So save your peels and give you and your potatoes a better chance at fulfilling their destiny.