If you think that potatoes come only in red, tan, or russet on the outside and white on the inside, you’re in for a real surprise. There are at least 5, 000 varieties of potatoes in the world, in colors that will knock your socks off! So will the flavor.
The taste of the potato varies not just because of the varieties. The type of soil it is grown in and the growing conditions will have an effect on the flavor.
Some varieties of potato make great chips or excellent roasting potatoes, others boil or mash very well.
Potatoes are rated from 1 to 9; 1 for waxy potatoes: that’s moist, firm, retains shape in cooking and good for salads. 9 for floury potatoes: drier and good for mash.
How do you know which potato is for you? With all the variety, it may be hard to choose. I would usually try to buy potatoes based on cooking quality. And,Boilers ( red and white) are potatoes that have a higher moisture content, so they tend to hold together well when added to chowders and soups, and are nice moist bakers. Besides, they are low in starch.
If you are trying to cut down on butter and fats, boilers don’t need as much sour cream as others to help them go down – and if they’re organically grown they’ve got all the flavor you need anyway!
Boilers have very thin skins, and I suggest you leave them on, because many of the potato’s nutrients lie just beneath their skins.
Potato varieties to look for in this category are: Round White, Round Red, Yellow Potato, Red Potato, Salad Potato, La Soda, Red La Rouge, Red Pontiac, Red Nordland, Red Bliss, Yellow Finnish, Ruby Crescent, and Australian Crescent.
Midways are less moist, and are fluffy when mashed, and a baker that likes to soak in a little bit of butter. They’re also kinda waxy which makes them excellent for potato salads. I like these as roasted potatoes.
Potato varieties in this category include: Yukon Gold, Peruvian Blue, Superior, Kennebec, and Katahdin. These potatoes are moister than baking potatoes and will hold together in boiling water.
They are particularly well suited for roasting, pan-frying, and using in soups, stews, and gratins. They can be baked, mashed, and fried, but will not produce the same results as the bakers.
Then there’s the Dry potatoes which will fall apart in the pot if over-boiled. But they make one of the best fluffy baked potatoes! These potatoes are the more starchy potatoes. They have a dry, mealy texture to them but turn light and fluffy when cooked.
When looking for dry baking potatoes include these varieties : Russet Burbank, Russet Arcadia, Norgold Russet, Goldrush, Norkotah, Long White (or White Rose or California Long White), and Idaho.
If you just want to grow unique and unusual varieties of potatoes, there are a handful of these as well. The latest potato from Hungary is called the ‘Sarpo Mira’ and ‘Sarpo Axona’.
Want a blue potato? How about the “True Blue”? These potatoes are oblong, smooth and dark purple with scattered tan skin. Their color changes from dark-violet to medium blue after cooking.
Within its red, yellow, white or brown protective exterior, a potato can provide a number of vitamins and minerals.
For example, potatoes have about 620 mg of potassium-that’s more than a banana. Potassium is needed for muscle performance and improving the nerves’ response to stimulation. Iron, that helps the body convert food to energy as well as resist infection, is also present.
Potatoes are also a great source of vitamins C and B. Vitamin C is essential to help maintain healthy connective tissue and heal wounds. B vitamins help the body make healthy red blood cells and amino acids.
Potatoes contain no fat or cholesterol and minimal sodium. What they do have is natural fiber in the skins, all those vitamins and minerals and great flavor.
Want to know more about potatoes?Then, post your question below.
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Yours truly, Polly – Organic Gardener
