You Say Potato? Me Too!

Let’s start with my favorite  song about potatoes which pretty much says it all!  Everyone loves potatoes!  But in the past several years our potato options have grown exponentially, and when you get to the grocery store, almost any store, you are confronted with a wide selection of potatoes (without including sweet potatoes and yams).   There are over one hundred varieties of potatoes available here in the US, all from seven types of potatoes: russet, red, white, yellow, purple/blue, fingerling and petite, according to the site potato goodness.  All this bounty can be overwhelming, and all these potatoes have different characteristics that make them better suited for some dishes than others. Though we often associate potatoes with Irish and British food, the potato is actually a New World food, meaning it originates in the western hemisphere.  Potatoes were brought to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors. Potatoes are from South America, and were grown and had been used by the Inca tribes for hundreds of years.  

 

Russets are those large brown potatoes with dirty, lacy textured skins.  They make the best baked potatoes, and make fluffy mashed potatoes too, because of their high starch content, and low moisture they bake or mash up nice and fluffy.  They’re also good for soups and stews as their abundant starch can thicken the cooking liquid.  When making baked potatoes if you want to eat the skin (and you should) don’t bake them in foil; they’re more steamed than baked when wrapped.  For nice crispy skin rub with oil, then roll in sea salt—yum!

Reds come in many sizes, and are waxy and smooth textured.  These make good mashed potatoes, especially if you like yours with the skin; Reds have thin skins that will mash right up with the potato, they’re also great for salads because they hold their shape after cooking, and have nice flavor.  These make great smashed potatoes, boil then smash with butter and milk, cream, or some stock of your choice, add plenty of salt; potatoes drink up salt,

White potatoes are similar to reds.  They have thin skin, and don’t need to be peeled when making mashed potatoes or potato salad.  When making a dressing-type salad, rather than mayo based, toss the potatoes with the dressing while they are still warm to infuse the dressing into the potato.

Yellow potatoes, or Yukon Golds have taken over the potato market.  They have only been around since the 1960’s, and as a result of their thin skin, buttery color and flavor are popular for all applications.  Because of their thin skin, they aren’t great for baking, but are good for pretty much everything else.  The thin skins can be great for home fries—par boil the potatoes, then pan fry in hot oil, the skins will curl and crisp up around the potato flesh.

Purple and Blue are generally the most expensive potatoes.  They are becoming more widely available.  Unlike red potatoes, purple potatoes have purple flesh too.  Microwaving is the best cooking method for preserving their color, but they are suitable for any cooking method. Their flavor is similar to yellow potatoes, and they make a great addition of color to potato dishes when you mix them in with other potatoes.

Fingerlings are designated by their shape, and come in all potato colors.  They are slender and finger shaped, and are great for pan roasting or other quicker methods of cooking, and because their size can be cooked and served whole.

Petite potatoes are designated by their size.  Potatoes are graded by size; A’s are larger, B’s a bit smaller, and petites are C’s and can be as small as marbles.  Their flavor is more concentrated than bigger potatoes, and these like fingerlings are great for quick cooking and are eaten whole.

Potatoes need to be kept in a cool, dark and dry place, but not in the refrigerator.  If they come in a perforated plastic bag, you don’t need to remove them from the bag.  If they start getting a greenish tinge this is a result of light exposure.  If your potatoes turn green try to cut away the green, as this can produce a bitter taste, and can cause illness if consumed in large quantities.  Do not wash potatoes before storing; it is important that they stay dry.

If your potato sprouts just cut that part away.  Many peelers have a tip meant for this purpose.

This list of interesting and fun alternative uses for potatoes is from the same potato goodness site.

The Incas had many uses for potatoes other than dinner:

• Placed raw slices on broken bones to promote healing
• Carried them to prevent rheumatism
• Ate with other foods to prevent indigestion.
• Measured time: by correlating units of time by how long it took for potatoes to cook.
• Various folk remedies recommend using potatoes:
• Treat facial blemishes by washing you face daily with cool potato juice.
• Treat frostbite or sunburn by applying raw grated potato or potato juice to the affected area.
• Help a toothache by carrying a potato in your pocket.
• Ease a sore throat by putting a slice of baked potato in a stocking and tying it around your throat.
• Ease aches and pains by rubbing the affected area with the water potatoes have been boiled in