Potatoes! You know them, you love them. But what is a potato, really? And where did potatoes come from?
Potatoes, quite simply, are the tuber that changed the world. Originally domesticated by Indigenous peoples of the Andean highlands and brought back across the Atlantic by Spanish colonizers in the 16th century, many researchers argue that the humble potato contributed to the rise of modern forms of agriculture in Europe. Today it’s the world’s fifth-largest staple crop. For our part potatoes are far and away America’s most consumed produce item—we eat nearly 50 pounds per person each year. (Unsurprisingly, tomatoes take the number-two spot; what’re french fries without ketchup?)
So what is a potato exactly?
Known as Solanum tuberosum, potatoes are a tuber (not the same as a root vegetable like, say, a radish) that fall into the “starchy vegetable” category. (So yes, potatoes absolutely count as a vegetable according to the USDA.) Typically grown in cooler climates and seasons, they come in a vast variety of sizes, colors, shapes, and textures.
What potatoes should I buy?
The wide world of spuds is staggeringly diverse—Peru’s International Potato Center has preserved close to 5,000 unique varieties. But, broadly speaking, your local grocery store is likely to have a few main types on offer, each suited to different preparations:
Relatively low in moisture and high in starch, with dark, matte skins, floury types like russets and Idahos cook up light, fluffy, and a little crumbly, which makes them ideal for a classic baked potato or a smooth, creamy mash. Their starchiness means that these potatoes also lend themselves well to fried applications, like crispy-on-the-outside, creamy-on-the-inside french fries and potato pancakes.
In contrast to their floury counterparts, waxy potatoes tend to have thinner, shinier skins and dense flesh that’s moister and lower in starch. Red Bliss, new potatoes, fingerlings, and a lot of the smaller, cuter varieties fit into this category. These hold their shape well when cooked and are therefore perfect for applications where that’s a priority—think potato salad, gratin, roasted potatoes, and good old-fashioned boiled-and-buttered spuds.
Two words: Yukon Gold. This storied variety and other floury-waxy hybrids have been bred to be somewhere in the middle. The Goldilocks of potatoes, they’re not too crumbly, not too dense, and versatile enough to work in almost all preparations. Boil them. Mash them. Roast them. Stir-fry them. You name it, these potatoes can do it.
…but wait, there’s more!
Having ready access to supermarket potatoes you know will perform as expected is a beautiful thing. But if you love potatoes as much as we do, you’d be missing out if you didn’t play the field. (Remember: 5,000 varieties.) The fall farmers market can be a great place to try out delicious and idiosyncratic heirloom varieties you’re less likely to find in stores, like purple-fleshed Magic Mollys, creamy Russian Bananas, and adorable pink Red Thumbs. And if you’re not sure how to prepare them, just ask whoever’s selling them for their favorite method.
Does buying organic potatoes matter?
According to the Environmental Working Group, potatoes retain fairly high levels of pesticides relative to other kinds of produce (they grow in the dirt, so it kind of makes sense), so it's best to shell out the extra buck for organic if you can.
