Students miss Taher’s ever-popular breakfast potato options
Right before extended online schooling came into play, the potato consumption at BSM was at an all time high, with 54 pounds of potatoes consumed on an average day.
April 20, 2020
During the five minute passing time used to fall between second and third period, students raided the cafeteria for the ever-so-popular breakfast potatoes. Now, these bites of potato-y goodness are dearly missed.
Long before the current pandemic, hash browns used to be the only potato option available. Then, tater tots came around as the newest hit. The change from tater tots to breakfast potatoes was not due to lack of enthusiasm for tots, but because of the breakfast burrito. โWhen I first started to make the breakfast burritos which were the first change in the breakfast program, they always had either tater tots or hash browns in them. I got tired of it because the potato to egg ratio was too high. So I got the potatoes, the cubed seasoned ones, as a filler for the burrito,โ Taher chef Raul said.
After Raul got his hands on these potatoes, he immediately thought of serving them. โThe moment I [started serving the breakfast potatoes] literally opened a floodgate of fans. Iโve already said if I donโt do those, theyโll be a riot in the morning,โ Raul said.
Nobody has lamented the loss of the hash browns or tots. โIโve had maybe two people say that they miss the hashbrowns and thatโs maybe more out of nostalgia than anything. And Iโll bring them back every now and then, like Iโll do tater tots this week just because Iโm bored,โ Raul said.
Right before extended online schooling came into play, the potato consumption at BSM was at an all-time high, with 54 pounds of potatoes consumed on an average day. โOn a not average day, which is now becoming a norm, youโll do 72 pounds of potatoes before 10 am. I have a feeling, if I didnโt stop making them at ten, youโd be in the upward range of 80 to 86 pounds a day,โ Raul said.
The potatoes come from a company that Taher has always trusted. โItโs a brand that I really love, like they make the best potatoes in the business, and Iโve known about them for thirty years,โ Raul said.
A big part of the reason these potatoes are so loved is because of the seasoning. โThey are appropriately salty, but not overly salty. And it has our secret seasoning on it: โloveโโ Raul said.
With breakfast potatoes topping both tater tots and hash browns, what could possibly come next? โThe only thing is breakfast waffle fries. Iโve seen those, and theyโre pretty awesome,โ Raul said.
With the current situation at hand, it is hard for students to enjoy the potatoes at school. โI really miss the potatoes. It sounds weird, but I really do,โ senior Frida Fortier said.