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Even though they seem so basic, there’s a lot to consider when picking out potatoes at the farmers market. Color, flavor, and texture can all influence what potato is right for the job. For example, potatoes perfect for mashes are generally not the perfect potato for home fries. Let me be your guide as we talk about the potato and all the best ways to highlight this humble vegetable.
Overview of Different Potato Categories
Floury or Starchy Potatoes
Floury potatoes are super starchy and have a low water content, which makes them crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. This is why floury potatoes are the potato of choice for French fries. These potatoes make for excellent mashes as well, since their texture will be smooth and creamy. Just don’t expect them to hold up when boiled. Russet and Gold Rush are common floury varieties.
Best techniques for floury potatoes: Roasting/baking, mashing, deep frying
Waxy Potatoes
Waxy potatoes have a higher water content, and hold their shape when boiled or fried. Often, waxy potatoes are younger and have thinner skins, but this isn’t always the case. I prefer using waxy potatoes for skillet hashes, because they have a firmer texture. Waxy potatoes are also the best choice for soups with cubed pieces of potato, as it won’t fall apart in the hot broth. Look for Terra Rosa and Red Bliss at the farmers market.
Best techniques for waxy potatoes: Sautéing, boiling, steaming
All-Purpose Potatoes
All-purpose potatoes are a bit of a hybrid between floury and waxy. These are the best potatoes to get when you don’t have a plan for their use, as they’ll work in just about any dish. Common varieties are Yukon Gold, Red Gold, and Peruvian Blue.
Best techniques for all-purpose potatoes: Braising, but honestly all techniques work for all purpose potatoes.
Different Colors of Potatoes
White Potatoes
White potatoes tend to be on the floury/starchy side of the potato spectrum.
Common Varieties: Kennebec, Russet, Dakota Rose
Yellow or Gold Potatoes
Yellow or Gold is the most common potato color. Don’t be fooled, though, color does not necessarily indicate texture.
Common varieties: Yukon Gold, German Butterball, Red Gold (these have red skin, but a golden interior)
Purple Potatoes
Try a purple potato for visually stunning mashed potatoes.
Common varieties: Peruvian Purple, All Blue, Adirondack Blue
Red Potatoes
You’re much more likely to find red-fleshed potatoes at the farmers market than at the grocery store.
Common varieties: Adirondack Red, La Rouge, Huckleberry
Best Recipes for Farmers Market Potatoes
Best Recipes for Fingerling Potatoes
Whole30 Mojito Salmon with Crispy Roasted Potatoes: Fingerling potatoes crisp up nicely in the oven, which makes them perfect for sheet pan meals.
Smashed and Loaded Crispy Potatoes by Molly Baz: The small size of fingerling potatoes makes this recipe easy to make. Their small size means that there is very little prep work.
Best Recipes for Floury Potatoes
Crispy Kohlrabi Hash Browns: Nothing compares to the crispiness that comes from fried potatoes. Russet potatoes, or another starchy variety, produce a satisfying crunch with a fluffy center.
Whole30 Red Cabbage Hash Browns: Floury, starchy potatoes tend to have a drier interior than other potatoes. This will give you extra crispy hash browns.
Buttermilk Chive Mashed Potatoes: This mash gets its fluffy texture from a combination of using Russet potatoes and a ricer.
Best Recipes for Waxy Potatoes
Whole30 Sunchoke Hash: Waxy potatoes are the key to preventing hashes from falling apart into a mess.
Italian Kale Soup with Fennel: Waxy potatoes are best for this soup, as the potatoes are buttery but don’t break down into nothingness in the soup.
Best Recipes for All-Purpose Potatoes
Creamy Potato Parsnip Gratin: While I developed this recipe for Russet potatoes, Yukon Golds would be a great choice here as well. Yukon Gold potatoes will bring an extra buttery flavor to the gratin.
Fondant Potatoes from Serious Eats: All purpose potatoes can stand up to harsh cooking techniques, making them perfect for fondant potatoes. This recipe involves braising potatoes in stock, leading to a deeply flavorful and rich side dish.
A Note about Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are not botanically related to regular potatoes. They are actually a part of the morning glory family. Regular potatoes, on the other hand, are nightshades. Sweet potatoes can provide an excellent substitution for many favorite potato dishes for those who have a hard time digesting nightshades.
I have a whole guide to sweet potatoes I’ve seen at the farmers market here.
