Potatoes

What's the best potato variety to choose for your meal ideas?

There are two main types of potatoes and it is important to choose the right one for the right dish: Floury, which is better for baking, mashing and frying, makes for perfect golden chips and roast potatoes. The waxy variety is higher in moisture and low in starch, retaining its shape throughout boiling, making it great for use in salads, as a side dish, or added raw to soups and casseroles. In the following a quick listing of the most common potato varieties:

The waxy Dutch bintje is ideal for boiling but not mashing; coliban is a floury variety that mashes and bakes well; while desiree is a waxy, oval-shaped potato with creamy yellow flesh, perfect for boiling and baking.

The Golden Delight potato is a good all-rounder that will give you a great result mashed, roasted or fried.

Kipfler, a small elongated waxy German potato, is best steamed and used in salads. The pink fir apple is also an excellent salad potato.

The waxy Nicola is buttery in flavour and a great all-rounder in the kitchen. The red pontiac and the royal blue are also good, all-purpose potatoes.

The sebago, which you can buy either white-washed or dirty, make excellent chips.

Spunta, a large, floury potato with a creamy white skin and flesh, breaks up when boiled, and is the best candidate for mashing and frying.

Chats are small, waxy baby potatoes that should be boiled or steamed.

The pink eye is a sweet, waxy potato identified by its deep pink eyes, ideal for boiling, baking and roasting. The Russet Burbank is highly sought after for making the best chips.

The sweet potato or kumera is actually a member of the morning glory family, and not the potato family. Try this yummy Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Curry!