Ultimate Guide to Potatoes
You know 'em and you love 'em — potatoes are root vegetables native to South America but are incorporated in cuisines worldwide. In this post, I'll walk you through everything you need to know about potatoes!
Potatoes 101
Most potato varieties fall into one of three major categories: starchy (high-starch), waxy (low-starch) or all-purpose (medium-starch). A potato's starch content is pivotal because it determines the potato's texture and best uses (think: how fluffy it is, how easily it browns and how well it will hold its shape after cooking).
Starchier potatoes tend to be fluffier and can easily take on a crispy, brown exterior. However, starchy potatoes don't hold their shape well in dishes like potato salad or vegetable soup. Less starchy (waxier) potatoes have a higher moisture content, so they can't achieve the same fluffy or crispy textures as starchy potatoes. Unlike starchy potatoes, waxy potatoes have a dense, velvety smooth interior and hold their shape well after cooking.
All-purpose (medium-starch) potatoes fall somewhere in the middle. They crisp up nicely, yield a somewhat fluffy, somewhat smooth texture, and resist crumbling in salads, gratins and soups.
Unfortunately, grocery stores typically don't categorize their potatoes by starch content. Instead, they sort potatoes into seven types: russet, yellow, white, purple or blue, red, fingerling and new. Each of these types includes many varieties of potatoes that share a similar appearance and starch content.
Types of Potatoes
Russet
Russet potatoes are a very popular starchy potato, sporting rough brown skin and white to yellowish flesh. They're quite dry and absorb flavors and sauces very easily. Their dry texture also allows them to crisp up (like fries!) or become light and fluffy (like mashed potatoes!). However, russets don't hold their shape well after cooking, so avoid using them in dishes like vegetable soup or potato salad.
Yellow
Yellow potatoes (like Yukon Gold) are all-purpose potatoes - not too starchy and not too waxy. These are my personal favorite potatoes because I love their silky texture and thin skin. They can crisp up nicely like russet potatoes but retain a denser, creamier texture.
White Potatoes
In the U.S., white potatoes are most popular on the east and west coasts. If you live in the Midwest (like me!), you may have never heard of white potatoes. They have thinner skin and waxier flesh than russets, making them well-rounded all-purpose potatoes. Like yellow potatoes, they work well in creamy recipes, like mashed potatoes, and recipes that require structure, like salads and gratins. However, they don't brown as well yellow potatoes or russets, so they tend to be overlooked culinarily.
Purple and Blue
Like yellow and white potatoes, purple and blue potatoes have a medium starch content and work well in various preparations. Despite their color, they have the same mild taste as other potatoes. However, be careful not to confuse them with purple sweet potatoes, which also have a dazzling purple flesh but are drier and much sweeter.
Red Potatoes
Red potatoes have charming red skin with a white interior. They are the waxiest potato on this list, making them many chefs' first choices for potato salads and gratins. Red potato varieties tend to be smaller than potatoes in other categories and are sometimes even confused with new potatoes. Because of their low starch content, they don't work well as mashed potatoes and don't crisp easily.
Fingerling
Fingerling potatoes are much smaller than russet or yellow potatoes, only measuring 3-4 inches in length and 1-2 inches in width. They come in multiple colors and varieties, but all are v waxy and have thin skin and mild flavor. Since they are so small, you might not even need to chop them depending on the recipe! They keep their shape very well, making them perfect in salads or simply roasted as a side dish.
New Potatoes
New potatoes are actually not a different variety of potatoes -- any potato picked before it's fully grown is a new potato. Because new potatoes are harvested early, you can find them in markets as early as April. They're small and round and come in a variety of colors. All new potatoes have thin skin, are waxy (bc their sugars haven't fully converted to starch), and hold their shape well.