The Potato - Humble But Cherished
Despite being called “the most important vegetable in the world”, as well as being the first vegetable to be grown in space, the potato is customarily seen in the U.S. as a humble side dish. However, at 99.9% fat–free, the potato is so nutrient dense it can serve almost as a sole food source. Notwithstanding its basic nature, cooking with potatoes can be confusing, as there are an ever-increasing number of available varieties.
When considering a potato, it is easiest to assign it to one of four categories. The first type is the “new” potato. This can be any variety, but it has to be a small, tender skinned potato harvested when the plant still has green foliage, i.e. before the natural sugar in the potato has been converted to starch. Be careful, just because a potato is small and round, it is not necessarily “new”. New potatoes are so sweet and delicious there’s really only way to do them justice - boil them, (see below for basic instructions), drain, roll them in butter and chopped parsley, and serve.
The other three categories concern mature potatoes, and are based on starch content. High starch potatoes (also called “mealy”) cook up to have a glistening appearance and a dry fluffy texture. These are the best potatoes for baking or mashing. The classic high starch potatoes usually have the name “Russet” or “Idaho”, but they can be simply called “baking potatoes”.
Low starch potatoes (also called “waxy”) cook to a smooth, creamy, and moist texture. While called “all-purpose”, these are truly best for boiling, steaming, scalloping, stews, and potato salad. Both red and white round potatoes, as well as long white potatoes, are low starch potatoes.
Recently there has been an explosion of specialty type, medium starch potatoes, often in a variety of colors. The fashionable “fingerling”, “Yukon Gold”, and “Yellow Finn” are all medium starch potatoes. These are truly more all-purpose than low starch potatoes – they have enough starch to be good bakers and mashers, but will still hold together after boiling to make good potato salad. The really exotic, expensive potatoes – purple ones from Peru, ruby crescents from Europe - are also medium starched. They’re really not worth extra money as the color usually dissipates in cooking. The best bet in these specialty types is the golden to tan skinned potatoes – they have a firm consistency, pronounced flavor, and sweetness.
If you’re uncertain about the starch content, cut the potato in half. Rub the two halves together – the starch will show up as a white froth. Stick the halves back together and hold up the potato. If the halves stay together, it’s a high starch potato.
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