PotaTOES , PotAHtoes – what’s the difference?

You may think that the biggest difference in potatoes is how you pronounce the word itself, but there is so much more!  In fact, did you know that there are over 4000 varieties of potatoes worldwide? Potatoes are available in a broad range of colours and sizes, and should be selected based on what you want to cook.  So how do you select the right potato for you? The most important thing is knowing the starch level of the potato, as it determines how it will react to baking, roasting, or mashing.

High Starch Potatoes:

These potatoes have light mealy texture.  They’re great for baking, mashing and frying.  Russet potatoes fall under this category.

Russet’s work well as oven-baked wedges, try these ones seasoned with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary

Recipe

Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary Potatoes

Medium Starch Potatoes:

These include varieties like the Purple and White potato.  These types are moister than high starch and hold their shape.  They make great gratins and are perfect for roasting.

Try these yummy roasted garlic purple potatoes to add some colour to your plate!

Recipe

Roasted Garlic Purple Potatoes

Medium – Low Starch Potatoes:

These types of potatoes are good for steaming or boiling.  Red and Yukon Gold potatoes fall under this category.

These “popped” potatoes are a delicious addition to a fall or winter meal!

Recipe

Jacques pepin style potatoes

Low Starch Potatoes:

These potatoes hold their shape well and are fantastic for your classic potato salad. Varieties include waxy potatoes such as fingerling.

Great for summer BBQ’s, this potato salad incorporates creamy dill dressing and vinegar for zing.

Recipe

Fingerling potato salad

No matter what you’re cooking, when you pick your potatoes look for ones that are firm and dry, free of blemishes, green tinge and sprouted eyes. If you’re making a traditional baked potato, make sure to get potatoes similar in size and shape so that they cook in approximately the same amount of time.