My niece asked me for my Perogy recipe, then I thought...what is the best potato for them. Here is my little mini-guide for the three most common potatoes I use.
Yellow Potato (left in photo) -
* yellowish colored-skinned with yellow flesh.
* considered low-starch and waxy, meaning it will hold its shape.
* Best for: grilling, roasting, boiling, stews, potato skins, steak fries, potato salads, casseroles and gratins because they have a firm, creamy and waxy texture.
* They have the most flavor in all the potatoes. They are a classic potato flavor with earthy and buttery notes or hints to them.
* These potatoes contain a lot of water which prevents them from absorbing too much water when cooked but may not be the best for a deep fried French Fry.
* They have a slightly thinner skin so they are easy to eat unpeeled.
** These potatoes make a creamier mashed potato with lots of flavor, whereas the Russet makes a fluffier mashed potato.
Red Potato (middle in photo) -
* bright red skin with creamy white flesh.
* They have a neutral flavor and have a firm, moist and waxy texture.
* They're best for soups, stews, boiling, roasting, potato salad, salads and casseroles, but worst for mashing.
Russet Potato (right in photo) -
* russet colored-skinned with white flesh.
* considered high in starch and low in moisture.
* They're what we typically imagine when people think of potatoes, they are the easiest and most commonly grown.
* Best for: baking, mashing and French Fries
* Because they have low moisture, they are the go-to choice for deep fried French Fries.
* And because have low moisture they are absorbent and make a good mashed potato when adding butter, cream, or sour cream. - think mashed potatoes with added flavor, these are the potatoes I use for making perogies because I add onions fried in either lard or a lard/butter base.
* They have a neutral potato flavor.
* These potatoes make the fluffiest baked potato because of the higher starch content. Just don't use Russets for potato salads, gratins or any dish that requires the potatoes to hold their shape. Russets do not fair as well boiled and keeping their shape, they often fall apart.
It will depend on if you want mashed or a potato that holds its shape after being boiled.
They are not the greatest for soups and stews where you want whole pieces of potato but if you need your soup thickened, this is the one to choose.
Well, that's it. I mostly use yellow and russet for most of my potato uses.
I hope this helped you too.
I have be purchasing potatoes from local potato farmer Upper Green Farms through out the year. I tagged them so they can add to the comments if they wish to correct me or add more details to this little mock-guide.
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