I LOVE POTATOES, so much so, you would think I was part Irish.  Around 1845, approximately one million people died in Ireland due to a potato disease knows as “blight.” Some historians believe the pathogen originated in Mexico, where it had already been found, then spread to crops in the United States, making its way to Ireland, via passenger ships sailing from America to Ireland.  Because of Ireland’s deep dependency on the potato, it is estimated half the entire country’s potato crop was destroyed. There are over 50 varieties of potatoes registered with the National Potato Council, however, China leads the world in potato production, almost three times more than…