Potatoes

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YEAR ROUND VEGETABLE

Description:

Potatoes are a tuber vegetable in the nightshade family, which also includes eggplant, tomatoes and bell peppers.

There are many varieties that come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the more familiar ones are listed below.

Blue and Purple: a variety that originated in South America with a dark blue or purple skin and flesh that ranges in color from dark blue to purple to white. This variety has a nice nutty flavor and is good when steamed or baked.

Fingerlings: a small, thin-skinned variety with a finger-like shape. They have a buttery texture and yellow flesh. They are good for baking, roasting and steaming.

Red: also known as, new potatoes, red bliss, or boiling potatoes, this variety has red skin and white flesh. They have a moist, smooth and firm texture and are good for salads, roasting, baking and steaming.

Russet: a thick-skinned variety with netted brown skin and white flesh. This type is good for baking, frying, mashing, or roasting. They turn out light and fluffy because they have low-moisture and high starch content.

Yukon gold: also known as, Yellow Fin or yellow-flesh, has light brown skin and golden colored flesh. They are good boiling potatoes with a creamy texture and buttery flavor and can also be baked or roasted. A variety that makes for great mashed potatoes.

While available year round, here are some general guidelines for buying. Blue and purple are available during the fall months, fingerlings are available from October through April, Yukon gold are available from late summer through early fall and russets and reds are available all year.


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Selecting:

When selecting, look for those that are firm, smooth and are as clean as possible. They should have good color and only a few eyes and be blemish-free.

Avoid any that have wrinkled or shriveled skin, have visible cuts in them, soft, dark or green areas. There should also be no sprouting on the potatoes.

Storing and Handling:

Store in a well-ventilated, cool, dark place for up to approximately two weeks.

Preparing Potatoes:

Scrub thoroughly with a vegetable brush under running water. You can also carefully peel off the skin, if desired, with a knife or vegetable peeler. Potatoes with colorful skin or thin skin are usually not peeled before cooking.

Discoloration can occur once potatoes are peeled and cut, so it is a good idea to place those you have prepared in a bowl of cold water, until you are ready to cook them. You can leave them in the cold water for up to two hours.


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Serving Suggestions:

Salads: the red variety works well is salads. Boil or steam until tender, cool and cut into bite-sized pieces and add to your salad.

Baked: the russet variety is delicious when baked until tender and topped with a little butter, sour cream, and fresh chives.

Boiled: the Yukon gold variety is very flavorful when boiled just until tender and then drizzled with a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. These are also very good when used in potato salad recipes.

Roasted: fingerlings, red, or russets are very flavorful when roasted along with other vegetables like carrots, onions and winter squash. This makes a great topping over salad greens (served slightly warm or cooled), over whole grain pastas, or served along side a meat, chicken or fish entrée.


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Seasonings and Foods to use with Potatoes: bacon, butter, chicken, chives, cream, dill, leeks, lemon juice and zest, mayonnaise, olive oil, onions, shallots, sour cream, vinaigrette, yogurt


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Quick Salad – Potato Recipes:

Red Potato Salad





















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