Do You Recall the Great Fudge Attack on Idaho Potatoes?

At first, I thought it was a joke. I saw what I believed was a Facebook meme about potato fudge. That is, topping potatoes with fudge, as you might use sour cream. A short search online offered there was such a thing. A marketing campaign designed to convince parents that kids would eat more healthy potatoes if the tubers were slathered in sweet, sugar-laden goo.

This was a thing. Since we no longer see it on shelves, I think it’s safe to say it wasn’t a hit. Not even the butterscotch flavor.

Even as a kid, I would’ve preferred the sour cream or gravy as a potato topping. As an adult, I like them soaked and then boiled in chicken broth. Fudge is a treat. Not a healthy alternative for mealtime.

This is a bit like arguing that you’re eating healthily after washing down a garden salad with two liters of Coca-Cola. The latter defeats the idea of the former.

The closest thing to potato fudge would be candied apples, which you probably don’t eat more than once or twice a year, and the flavors work well together. Sweet and sweet with some spice.

Growing up in a family where nearly everything we ate was fried in Crisco, I admit to not being very adventurous when it comes to new foods. The most exotic thing Mom ever cooked was spaghetti sauce, and the grease from the hamburger she used to thicken the pot always floated on the surface. Potato fudge would’ve been simply another nail in the coffin.