TATERNACITY

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SIMPLOT

By April Neale

September is National Potato Month, and you’d have to turn in your Idaho residency card if you didn’t know about the stalwart crop that Idaho is known for and, frankly, excels at producing, thanks to volcanic terroir or perhaps, “potatoir.”

It was a scrappy Declo, Idaho kid, J.R. Simplot, who, at age 14, had no time for being hemmed in by parental rules. His resilience and determination set the stage for Idaho’s potato industry.

Armed with some gold coins his mother gave him, J.R. set out on his own and parlayed an entrepreneurial adventure that initially involved some hog wrangling. Not long after, he created one of the biggest and ongoing privately owned companies in American history.

Today, the J.R. Simplot Company yields a continuous and vibrant crop of Umatillas, Russet Burbanks, Dakota Russets, and the new darling of potato fans—the fingerlings. Fingerlings are the true earning tater crops these days for Idaho spud farmers, according to Rex Chandler. The esteemed “Table 75” in Chandlers Steakhouse & Seafood is where many a fingerling potato farming baron can be found spending their spoils.

The story goes that before he was a mogul, J.R. won a coin toss and full ownership of an electric potato sorter. As he grew his business, the company became the largest shipper of potatoes in the West, with over 30 warehouses in Oregon and Idaho. Today, Simplot is a global force with 15,000-plus employees in several countries, creating all sorts of innovative food products primarily designed for commercial use, not to mention ranching, farming, plant sciences, seeds, food processing, and brands, and are still in the fertilizer manufacturing and phosphate mining business.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Idaho potatoes, grown for Simplot by many Idaho farmers, feed the world. Historically, Idaho potatoes gave sustenance to our fighting troops during World War II. When wartime shortages made fertilizer hard to come by, J.R. saw around that corner and created his own manufacturing plant in Pocatello. As the wars ended and modern conveniences rose, J.R. seized the opportunity to create a palatable frozen French fry. It was the institutional customers and restaurant owners who saw the genius of this, and in 1965, kismet brought J.R. to meet with McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, who was sold on frozen fries for the uniformity of the bestselling menu item. Simplot’s fries have become one of the most profitable items on the McDonald’s menu to this day.

Catherine Bates, Simplot’s Senior Communications Manager, summed it up. “If we are looking at just Idaho potato production, Simplot produces 1,645,250,000 lbs. of raw potato annually,” she said. “We produce 11 different varieties in Idaho and support 47 Idaho growers with our potato production in the state. Our Caldwell potato plant brings in many different varieties of potatoes annually. For crop production in 2024, 19 different varieties of potato were processed. Some of the names you might be familiar with are Russet Burbank, Dakota Russet, Umatilla Russet, and others.”

Spicy Sriracha Sidewinders™ Fries

Get bold with these sidewinder-cut fries tossed in garlic and red chili flakes. Perfect for dipping in a spicy house-made sriracha sauce.

SIDEWINDERS™ Fries:

• 4 lb. Simplot SIDEWINDERS™ Fries: Original Cut Clear Coated

• 1/4 cup Garlic, minced

• 1/4 cp Red chili flakes

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Sriracha Sauce:

• 3 cups Mayonnaise

• 1 cup Sriracha

• 1/2 cup Lemon Juice

• 1 Tbsp. Lime Juice

• 1/2 Tbsp. each Lemon and Lime Zest

Directions

Preheat fryer to 345°F.

Fry SIDEWINDERS™ Fries for 4 minutes. Remove them to a stainless steel bowl and sprinkle with garlic, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.

To prepare Sriracha sauce; whisk together all ingredients until well incorporated. Cover and refrigerate.

Serve hot with house made sriracha sauce on the side.