They’re one of the oldest and most nutritious foods known. Potatoes were first discovered in the Andes Mountains of Peru some 4,000 years ago, and we’ve been devouring them ever since as potato skins, potato salad, potato soup, hash browns, French fries, mashed and baked—to name a few. They grow almost anywhere, from sea level to high altitudes of 14,000 feet, and they’re a part of any healthy diet plan.
“Potatoes are in our soul, just like the aromas of our grandmother’s kitchen,” says John Bubala, chef of Chicago’s famous Thyme Restaurant.
Species of Spuds
Many recipes or cooking methods call for a specific type of potato for best results, so it’s worth noting the following basic groupings:
Fingerlings:
These small, low-starch potatoes resemble stubby fingers. Use them for roasting or making potato salad.
New potatoes:
True “new” (not quite mature) potatoes have parchmentlike skin you can peel off with your fingers. Chefs appreciate their creaminess. Steam or roast new potatoes whole, but use them within a few days because they’re more perishable than other varieties.
Purple potatoes:
Their striking color isn’t just skin deep; the inside is rich purple as well. They add color to a dish, but they’re not as tasty as other types. Mash or use them in potato salad but don’t overcook them or they’ll get mushy.
Redskin potatoes:
When cooks mention “waxy potatoes,” they probably mean redskins. Don’t mash these or they’ll get gooey. Use them in potato salad, soups or scalloped potatoes, or pan-fry.
Russet potatoes:
Known as starchy, baking or Idaho potatoes, low-moisture spuds are ideal for baking or mashing. They don’t work well in salads because they don’t hold their shape after cooking.
Yellow Finn potatoes:
Creamy, buttery and waxy, these are great all-purpose potatoes.
Yukon Gold potatoes:
Flavorful and yellow, they’re another good all-purpose potato, but they’ll fall apart if overcooked.
Powerfully Nutritious Potatoes
Few foods are so packed with nutrition: a potato averages just 100 calories, yet it carries more potassium than a banana, 45 percent of our daily vitamin C requirement, 10 percent of the vitamin B6 we need every day and a healthy dose of iron (six percent of the recommended daily value can be found in a medium potato).
“People don’t realize the nutrition in potatoes,” says Chris Voigt, executive director of the Washington State Potato Commission. “Their vitamin C helps us heal wounds and build connective tissue, their B vitamins help us make red blood cells, and the skins give us three grams of natural fiber—more, in fact, than most slices of multi-grain bread.”
In potatoes you’ll find no fat, no cholesterol and just a trace of sodium. What’s more, it’s easy to top or combine potatoes with other healthy foods—spinach, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, yogurt—to make even more powerful, strength-building dishes.
Specialty Spuds and Potato Cuisine
Russet is still king, Voigt says. “It’s still the most popular potato by far, but in the last five or six years, people are experimenting with specialty spuds.” The yellow-flesh varieties such as Yukon Gold are selling more because people can get that buttery flavor without adding butter, he adds. And the “heirloom” varieties such as purple, small redskin, baby white and fingerling are more accessible, and people want to try them.
At Phoebe’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant in Philadelphia, manager Peter Kallis sticks with Grandma Phoebe’s formula for mashed potatoes: “Red pepper, milk and good old Idaho potatoes,” he says. “We make them here. Always use fresh ingredients, and you can’t go wrong.”