They were first grown by the Incas of Peru and introduced to Britain and Ireland in the late 1500’s. Their stubborn refusal to grow in the fields of Ireland from 1845 – 1852 drove the population mad and forever changed the country. Potato blossoms were once seen as the seasons must-have accessory, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were both known to wear them to fancy up their garb. Today they’re eaten the world over and are the #4 most important crop, they’ve been grown in space, and they’re the one food item my potato loving boyfriend would be thrilled to be reincarnated as (especially if they are mashed, he says).
At Aspire we use potatoes quite frequently, and so when deciding what to write about this week I decided to go back to basics and look at individual ingredients. I’m going to show you 8 types of Potatoes and if you know of more, please feel free to comment and share with the group. Here we go…
RUSSET: is dark in color, thick skinned and high in starch. Best for Baking and Boiling. Makes a great mashed potato.
FINGERLING: lighter in color than the Russet and usually much smaller, they’re shaped like fingers, are low in starch, and are great for baking, boiling, and roasting.
YELLOW: just as the name indicates they’re a light yellow in hue. They’re considered “all purpose” which means they’re great for easy potato recipes that involve mashing, steaming, boiling, baking and roasting.
WHITE: usually are low in starch, they hold their shape well so they’re great for au gratin and potato salad, as well as mashed, boiling, steaming and roasting.
RED: have similar properties to the white potato and are great for steaming, boiling, roasting, au gratin and scalloped
SWEET: called a potato but is actually classified as a yam, but they taste so great, they make fantastic fries, and they have potato in their name…so for those reasons I’m putting it on this list! Significant markings? They’re orange inside and taste nothing like a typical potato.
PURPLE/BLUE: great in all types of dishes because they’re medium starch but as a personal preference I steer clear from mashing them, for the pure fact that purplish-blue mashed just looks creepy. You will find these on our menu from time to time – don’t worry, we will warn you! They taste just like a standard potato, but have a great eye catching quality that just pops off the plate.
Finally, I found OCA in my Google searching: the flavor is slightly tangy, and texture ranges from crunchy (like a carrot) when undercooked, to starchy or mealy when fully cooked. Though the original Andean varieties are widely variable in color from purple to yellow, the usual New Zealand variety is a fleshy pink. These guys remind me of Grub Worms and have never appeared on our menu – though I’m sure if Robbie put his mind to it he could make them both beautiful and delicious.
Some Nutritional Facts for You:
| Serving size = 148 grams or 5.2 ounces | Russet Norkotah | Russet Burbank | Red | Yellow | White |
| Calories | 110 | 110 | 100 | 120 | 110 |
| Calories from Fat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Fat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sodium | 10 mg | 15 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Potassium | 680 mg | 640 mg | 710 mg | 810 mg | 700 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 22 g | 23 g | 23 g | 26 g | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g | 2 g | 2 g | 2 g | 2 g |
| Protein | 4 g | 4 g | 3 g | 3 g | 3 g |
| Vitamin C | 8 % | 10 % | 10 % | 15 % | 10 % |
| Riboflavin | 4 % | 2 % | 0 % | 12 % | 2 % |
| Iron | 40 % | 10 % | 4 % | 4 % | 4 % |
| Vitamin B6 | 15 % | 15 % | 15 % | 15 % | 10 % |
| Thiamin | 6 % | 10 % | 8 % | 6 % | 6 % |
| Niacin | 8 % | 10 % | unavailable | unavailable | unavailable |
| Folic Acid | 4 % | 4 % | unavailable | unavailable | unavailable |
And, How to bake the potato of your dreams…
Scrub well and pierce the ends with a fork or skewer so steam can escape. Never attempt to bake a mature potato without puncturing the skin – it might explode.
- For crisp skins, rub lightly with oil or butter (to prevent skin from cracking and to improve the taste). For more tender skins, leave dry.
- Place onto an oven rack in a preheated 400-degree oven and bake until done, approximately one hour. To test doneness, squeeze gently. Done potatoes will yield to gentle pressure.
- Aluminum-foil wrapped potatoes are not baked but steamed in their own moisture. The texture of a steamed potato is entirely different from that of a baked potato. Save yourself the trouble and expense of wrapping in aluminum foil and serve a better product.
Did you know that…
1 Pound of Potatoes = 4 cups of diced = 1 3/4 cups mashed
Next week I’m tackling MUSHROOMS!
Entry by Emily Beauchemin
Aspirerestaurant's Blog 