Potato or Potato?

So, I've been on a mad quest to find alternatives to potatoes for my daughters' diets. The reason is one cannot eat rice due to an intolerance. They can handle quinoa 1x or 2x a week, but no more. One's very fussy about the gfcf breads I've tried -- so, no stuffing. And, due to the rice intolerance and a corn intolerance, standard noodles aren't an option either (we are trying some Asian noodles now -- tapioca, sweet potato, etc. -- and I'll post more on that later).

The kids just can't eat potatoes everyday. One, I'm afraid they will build up an intolerance to the potatoes if they eat it 3x a day. And two, I don't want to get stuck on a food. Thus, my search for potato alternatives.

I've found some and am in the middle of experimenting. I thought I'd share.

Taro root: found this at the Asian grocery. You peel this, plunge in cold water, boil, and then slice thinly, dice or cut into sticks to cook. I fried these like french fries and the kids didn't notice the difference. Yep, it worked. These are a little tricky to handle. I've read they can irritate the skin while handling in the pre-cooked stage, so I wore plastic gloves. No rash. Also, they tend to get sticky when they cool. I served these warm so I didn't encounter that problem either. I don't know if it would make much difference though if I had prepared mashed taro root. I plan to try it. I paid $1.49/lb for these.

Malanga: have not found this yet, but 2 local Asian grocers carry it. From what I've read, this may be the most promising as it closely resembles a potato, without the fussiness of the taro root. I'll let you know when I get them. Also, priced at $1.49/lb.

• Lotus root: I just bought a few of these to try but have not yet cooked them. I believe these have "air chambers" in the middle, so if you were to slice one, it might appear like a snowflake. I'm hoping the fun snowflake appearance of these entices my kids, or that I can mash them. I'll be experimenting this week. Also found at the Asian grocery at $1.49/lb.

Plantains: a restaurant owner I came across in the Asian market told me about these starchy vegetables. These also look promising and might be sold in an Asian or Latin American grocery. I've also seen them in big cans at the Latin American grocery.

Yucca: The same restaurant owner also suggested yucca, which is very similar to potato. These are sold at both Asian and Latin American markets.

So, I'll post again as I experiment and discover which ones work and what doesn't work.