All hail the mighty potato.

With St. Patrick's Day right around the corner, it's time to celebrate the potato. It has been a part of Irish culture and cooking for centuries.

But thanks to a declaration from the United Nations, the potato is taking center on a global stage.

The U.N. has declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato. The goals of the declaration are lofty and governmental — recognizing the potato's significance as a staple crop in the global economy, focusing on it as a means to end world poverty and hunger, and promoting the sustainable development of the potato industry.

The Swiss are introducing a stamp to commemorate the Year of the Potato. Peru hosted an international conference on potato growing. Ireland is passing out seed tubers to its schoolchildren as part of a national potato-growing competition.

Luckily for us, paying homage to the potato doesn't require anything nearly as official.

In fact, we're not likely to see much of the international celebration trickle down to Ohio, according to Bob Jones Jr., president of the Ohio Produce Growers and Marketers Association,

Jones said Ohio's significance as a potato-growing state has dwindled over the years, with only a few large growers left. Ohio is not among the top 10 potato-producing states, and the farms that remain typically sell their crops for chips or, like Don Ramseyer Farm in Smithville, to Campbell's Soup.

However, Jones said Ohio does have a long history of potato growing.

And Ohioans hold their potato history near and dear. In Mantua they've been paying tribute to locally grown spuds for 35 years now.

While potato farms are few in Mantua, its Potato Festival in September recognizes the importance of this crop in the history of the Portage County community. In the 1800s, Mantua potato farmers would use the Cuyahoga River to transport their crops to market, said Elaine Jones, one of the festival's organizers (no relation to Bob).

She said the use of the potato crop to thwart world hunger isn't anything new to Mantua-area families, who for years used the generosity of local farmers to stretch their food stores.

''If you were ambitious and needed some food, you could ask a farmer if you could glean his fields after harvesting and take what they had missed,'' Jones said. Gleaning a potato field helped many large families feed their children during the winter in the days before food banks.

Potatoes are still an economical way to feed a hungry family — they're versatile, satisfying and packed with nutrients, Jones said. ''There's a misconception that the potato is fattening. What's fattening is what you put on them, the butter and the sour cream.''

Gilding the potato, however, is Jones' area of expertise. She runs the festival's annual cook-off, because she walked away with top prize so many years in a row that organizers eventually asked her to run it.

Potatoes survived the no-carbohydrate diet craze, and the recipes entered have gotten lighter, more natural and organic, Jones said. Lately, though, recipes are leaning toward comfort food.

Jones' potato of choice depends on what she's making. ''I like Yukon Golds and russets, they're a little more firm. Yukon Golds are a little more moist for cooking. They're really yummy. When you use Yukon Golds to prepare mashed potatoes, you really have to add very little else.''

Her 2000 winning entry for Swiss Potato Kugel is a favorite, because it can be seasoned in a variety of ways to better enhance the meat or other food that it will accompany.

Because it's the International Year of the Potato, here are some recipes that will take you around the globe on a passport to good eating.

DOUBLE BAKED WESTMEATH POTATOES WITH SHRIMP AND SCALLIONS
4 large baking potatoes
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 finely diced onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms
2 cups cooked shrimp, chopped
3 scallions, chopped fine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup dry white vermouth
1/2 cup creme fraiche
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 to 2 tbsp. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash potatoes and pat dry. Set the potatoes on the middle rack of preheated oven. Bake about 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender when pierced.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Let potatoes cool slightly. Slice the tops off the potatoes lengthwise, 1/2 inch from the top. Carefully, without tearing the skin, scoop out the potato pulp into a bowl. Hand mash the potatoes, set aside. Reserve the shells.

Melt butter in a small saucepan. Over medium heat, saute chopped onion and garlic until soft and tender, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute 3 minutes. Stir in shrimp and chopped scallions. Season with salt and pepper, add vermouth, and bring to a boil. Stir frequently over high heat until all liquid has evaporated. Stir in creme fraiche and remove from heat.

Combine shrimp mixture with reserved mashed potato and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Correct seasoning. Add heavy cream.

Spoon or pipe the potato mixture into reserved skins. Sprinkle additional grated cheese on top. Place on a sheet pan.

Return potatoes to oven and bake again until potatoes are hot and cheese begins to bubble.

Makes 4 servings.

— Elegant Irish Cooking, Noel C. Cullen

SWISS POTATO KUGEL
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter
4 cups shredded potatoes
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 eggs
3/4 cup half and half
Tomato slices
Fresh thyme

In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Remove from heat and add potatoes. Toss cheese with flour, salt and pepper, add to skillet and blend well.

In a small bowl, combine eggs and half and half. Stir into potato mixture.

Spoon into a greased 9-inch square baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Cool 5 minutes. Cut into squares.

Garnish with tomato slices and thyme.

Makes 9 servings.
— Elaine Jones, From the Heart of Potato Country, Mantua Potato Festival

HUNGARIAN POTATO STEW
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. caraway seeds
Coarse salt
3 lbs. yellow flesh potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 frankfurters, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices (see note)

Heat the oil in a wide saucepan over medium heat until it moves easily across the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened, translucent, and beginning to brown at the edges, about 8 minutes.

Add the paprika, caraway and salt to taste and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds. Pour in 1/2 cup water and stir. Add the potatoes and stir to coat them well, then add enough water, about 2 cups, to just about cover them.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for 15 minutes.

Strew the frankfurter slices over the top of the stew and cover the pan again. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are tender and the frankfurters are hot and plumped.

Taste for salt — make sure to put enough salt in this — and serve it in bowls.

Makes 6 servings.

Note: Get loose frankfurters from the butcher, not skinless, or experiment with other sausages like kielbasas.
— One Potato, Two Potato, Roy Finamore with Molly Stevens

ALLOO CURRY (POTATO CURRY)
2 tbsp. sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
8 red chilies
1/2 tsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. cumin seeds
Salt
11/4 lbs. potatoes (any variety), peeled and diced, or whole new potatoes
Chopped cilantro leaves to garnish

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook until slightly browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, then stir in the chilies, chili powder, cumin seeds and salt to taste.

Add 1/2 cup water and cook, stirring, until excess liquid has evaporated.

Add the potatoes together with another 1/2 cup water. Stir well to coat the potatoes with the spice mixture, then put a lid on the pan. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, but not breaking up.

Remove the lid and continue cooking until the oil separates out. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Note: The curry can be made in advance and reheated in the pan over low heat, or in a microwave.
— Curry Cuisine

NORTH AFRICAN POTATO SOUP
1/4 cup safflower or other high-quality vegetable oil
2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onion
2 cups chopped red, green or gold sweet pepper
1 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 entire head garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 lbs. boiling, baking or sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped ripe tomatoes or 1 can (28 oz.) crushed Italian plum tomatoes, including juice
1 quart homemade chicken stock, canned chicken broth, or flavorful homemade vegetable stock
1 tbsp. freshly grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Ground cayenne pepper
3 tbsp. chopped fresh mint or cilantro
Freshly minced lemon zest for garnish
Fresh mint sprigs or cilantro sprigs for garnish

In a stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet pepper, cumin, and coriander and saute about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is almost caramelized, about 35 minutes.

Add the potato slices, tomatoes, stock or broth, and lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Stir in salt and peppers to taste. Just before serving, stir in the chopped mint or cilantro. Sprinkle with lemon zest to taste, garnish with mint or cilantro sprigs and serve hot.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
— James McNair's Potato Cookbook