Digging up the dirt

DIGGING UP THE DIRT: All you need to know about potatoes and their cookery

BY MALLORY FRAYN

APOTATO IS A POTATO IS A potato. Or is it?

According to Rosemary Wotske of Poplar Bluff Organics, over 6,000 different varieties of potatoes have been identified in the gene bank in Peru, with more wild varieties regularly being discovered.

“There’s a tremendous amount of breeding being done, so 6,000 is probably conservative,” she adds. Having obtained her Bachelor of Science in physiology and biochemistry, a Master’s in plant genetics, and having grown potatoes for the past 35 years, Wotske knows better than anyone the diversity that exists when it comes to this staple food source. However, according to both Canadian and American statistics, only about a third of potatoes grown are consumed fresh, with the remainder of crops going to processed applications like French fries.

Traditionally, potatoes have been divided into two different categories, starchy potatoes and waxy potatoes. Starchy potatoes, like Russets, have lower water and sugar content, but higher starch, as the name implies. This makes them ideal for applications in which you want the creaminess of the potatoes to shine through, or when you’re aiming for crunch. Starchy potatoes are thus great in everything from mashed potatoes to French fries, or even just a standard baked potato with all the fixings.

Waxy potatoes have the opposite makeup. They are higher in moisture and sugar, while being lower in starch, which allows them to hold their shape better throughout the cooking process. Varieties like fingerling and new potatoes all fall under the waxy category and are great for summer potato salads, or just boiled with butter. If you’re in search of something a bit different, keep an eye out for the Columba potato, a waxier variety that is excellent in potato salads, and has a buttery, almond flavour.

While this binary categorization of waxy versus starchy is typically used to classify potatoes as one or the other, Wotske cautions that the continuum between extremely waxy and extremely starchy potatoes is quite long, so you

Agria potatoes courtesy Poplar Bluff Organics

Courtesy Country Roots Photography

Rosemary Wotske

can’t treat all waxy or all starchy potatoes equally and lump them into one big category. She recommends thinking about it as more of a spectrum, with some varieties, such as Yukon Gold, falling more so in the middle, while others exist at the extremes.

Wotske attributes the lack of education and accurate information on potatoes to a couple of different factors. First, she has observed the extent to which consumers tend to make purchasing choices based on aesthetic factors over and above more practical considerations. “I grow some varieties that don’t get commercial acceptance because they aren’t pretty,” Wotske notes. One of her favourite varieties, the Agria, came to Canada from Germany in the mid-1980s. While it has a vivid, yellow colour, its skin is lackluster and susceptible to blemishes, so it often gets overlooked. It’s a classic case of not being able to judge a book by its cover, because if you can get over the boring exterior, Wotske stands by her claim that Agrias make, “best mash you’ll ever make.” Chefs also love them for roasting, mashing, and even making gnocchi.

Another issue Wotske cites is related to consumer education. “I’ve had lots of calls over the years about people associating potato skin colour with makeup, for example, that all red potatoes have to be waxy,” she says, adding that, “Skin colour has absolutely nothing to do with texture.” She believes that the onus has to be on accurate marketing, giving consumers all of the information they need to make informed decisions about what they are eating, so they can better know what application it will be best suited for. Wotske finds it more helpful to label potatoes by their variety name so that consumers can go back and look for the same variety again, allowing their recipes to be consistent.

While all potatoes can’t be treated equally, “if you match the cooking technique to the potato you are using, you get amazing results,” Wotske states. As for the biggest faux pas she has witnessed when it comes to potato cookery, she advises against ever using Russets for potato salad. “They go to mush, and they taste like dirt, why would you inflict that on yourself?”

Columba potatoes courtesy Poplar Bluff Organics

Tahini potato salad

Serves 4

454g Columba potatoes, or other waxy potato, skin on ¼ cup (60 mL) tahini paste ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 2-3 Tbs of juice) 2 Tbs (30 mL) olive oil 1 shallot, finely sliced 1 Tbs (15 mL) Dijon mustard 1 Tbs whole coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed (a mortar and pestle is best for this but if you don’t have one, the back of a frying pan does the trick) 2 Tbs capers, finely chopped To Taste salt and pepper

1. Wash the potatoes to remove any dirt. Bring the potatoes to a boil. Once the water is boiling, heavily salt the water. This aids in thorough seasoning, similar to cooking pasta, so don’t underdo it. Cook until the potatoes yield to a paring knife, about 15 to 20 minutes depending on their size. 2. Once cooked, drain the potatoes, leaving them in the colander in the sink for 3 to 5 minutes to allow some of the moisture to evaporate off. 3. While still warm, toss the potatoes with the remainder of the ingredients, seasoning to taste. Bear in mind that the salad will be served cool or at room temperature, so add more salt than you think you need as the flavours will dampen once it is chilled. 4. The salad can be served warm if desired or can be made in advance and chilled until ready to serve. Garnish with extra parsley and dill before serving, should it tickle your fancy.

Homemade, Cold Fry Method French Fries

Serves 4

1 kg Yukon Gold potatoes, or other variety that is in the mid-range between waxy and starchy, skin on About 6 cups (1½ L) vegetable oil (ideally peanut, but any neutral oil with a higher smoke point will do, such as grapeseed) *Keep in mind that these quantities are an estimate and will depend on the size of your pot and your appetite for fries. A more flexible rule would be to cut as many potatoes as will fit into the pot without overfilling it, and to use enough oil to cover, such that all, if not the majority of the fries are submerged to start.

1. Wash the potatoes to remove any dirt. Cut the potatoes into batonnets, AKA fries, about 6 mm thick. Rinse under cold water to remove any excess starch. 2. Put the potatoes in a large Dutch oven and add oil to cover. Depending on the size of your pot, you may have to do this in multiple batches, but the larger the cooking vessel, the better (because no one wants a skimpy portion of fries). Also, be careful not to overfill as the oil will expand once heated and you don’t want the pot to overflow. 3. Cook on high heat until it reaches a rolling boil, about 5 to 10 minutes. Continue cooking the works, without stirring, for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes have visibly softened and are just starting to crisp up around the edges. 4. At this point you can stir, to loosen up any potato clumps and allow for even cooking. Just be careful, especially if you’re working with a full pot, as hot oil is hot, and you don’t want to splash any around or burn yourself. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until golden and crisp. 5. Remove the potatoes from the pot using a slotted spoon and transfer onto a baking sheet lined with paper towel, to soak up any excess oil. Transfer the fries to a large mixing bowl and toss with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot with ketchup, aioli, or any other dips of choice.

NOTE: If you’re worried about doing this inside given the grease, you can always cook the fries outdoors on the side burner of your grill. Just be careful that splattering oil doesn’t fly into the grill itself and start a grease fire (i.e. keep the lid of the grill closed to be safe).

Mallory is a Calgary clinical psychologist and food writer now living and eating in Montreal. Her goal is to help people develop healthier relationships with food. Follow her on Twitter @drfrayn.