Potatoes are the culinary equivalent of a big fat hug, says English food writer Nigel Slater in his book Real Food. Dozens of others have agreed, prescribing a bowl of creamy mashed potato for everything from a broken heart to a bruised knee.
The season for potatoes is so spread out – the first Pinkeyes can be ready in October and others, no longer “newâ€, are being lifted now – but, generally, the best time for potatoes is from early autumn to late winter. And this certainly is the prime time for cosy comfort food – potatoes in hotpots, gratins, slow-cooked casseroles and curries.
Tasmanians pride themselves on being several degrees more potato-conscious than your average mainlander, who believes the main varieties are washed and unwashed. We know Pinkeyes are better for salads, but choose King Edwards or Up-to-Dates for a baked potato with a golden crust and fluffy inside.
The principle behind this is that “waxy†potatoes are best for boiling and “floury†potatoes for baking or deep frying. Pinkeyes, most yellow-fleshed potatoes and most new potatoes of any variety are waxy, in that their cells contain more starch and less sugar than floury potatoes and the tissue is more cohesive, which makes them ideal for chopping for a salad, slicing for a gratin or grating for a rosti. Waxy potatoes are also better at soaking up flavours, but they are not the best choice for mash or chips.
A floury potato has less water than a waxy potato and is more inclined to break up when it is cooked, making it suitable for mash or thickening a soup, and when baked or chipped they will brown nicely on the outside and be soft inside.
Then there are middle-ground potatoes suitable for most purposes, although not as good as the “specialists†at the specialist jobs. All-rounders include the common Kennebec and Bintje, Dutch Cream, Sebago, Symfonia Tasman and Pontiac.
True new potatoes have been dug before the plant above the ground withers and falls. The easiest way to tell is the skin will rub off easily. Other potatoes may be “new†in the sense that they have only recently been harvested but their skin is “setâ€.
Where a potato grows can have an influence on flavour equal to the variety. Soils on the Tasman Peninsula and South Arm are the most famed for Pinkeyes, however they are also grown now on the red soils in the North-West, but those do not achieve the same gourmet status.
Brendon White, who grows potatoes for Hill Street Grocer at Campania, says Pinkeyes grown on higher ground and picked later are not as big as the ones from lower ground, but taste a lot better and are a really golden yellow.
In the ground is a good place to store potatoes – Brendon might leave spuds underground for two months or more after they are first ready. Once dug, they are kept in cool, dark storage.
One thing most of us “know†about potatoes – that all the goodness is just under the skin and therefore it’s best not to peel them – is a myth. The two most important nutrients in potatoes are vitamin C and dietary fibre, and they are distributed right through the tuber.
Nor are potatoes fattening as is commonly supposed – it’s the butter or cheese melted over them, the cream whipped into them, the oil they are fried in or the gravy poured over them that add calories.
Boiled or steamed
Pinkeyes are Tasmanians’ favourite potato for boiling or steaming, especially when they make their first appearance of the new season in October. Other good choices are Kipfler, Pink Fir Apple, Desiree, Symfonia and Bintje .
Potatoes, like most vegetables, are best cooked in the least water in the quickest possible time, so it’s a good idea to have potatoes of even size (or cut them so that they are) so they all finish cooking at the same time. Don’t however cut them too small or they will soak up too much water.
Leaving the skins on helps the potatoes hold together during cooking, and so does soaking them in cold water for half an hour or so before cooking. Having them already in cold water when you start to heat it also helps them stay in one piece, however, adding the potatoes to already boiling water will preserve more of their vitamin C content, so there’s a choice to be made.
Add a little salt to the water and a sprig of mint or lemon thyme if you like, and boil gently. Test from about 10 minutes, and as soon as the potatoes are tender drain the water off them, then put the saucepan back over a gentle heat to evaporate some of the moisture.
Salads
The same waxy potatoes suitable for eating simply steamed or boiled are excellent for salads, and the sooner you add the dressing to them the more flavour they will soak up.
An oil-and-vinegar dressing can be tossed through immediately (and chopped herbs or onions added when it has cooled a little) but let the potatoes cool a little more for a mayonnaise dressing or the heat may break up the emulsion.
Warm potato salads have their own appeal, but dressing the salad while the potatoes are warm does not mean they have to be eaten warm. In fact, cooked potatoes that have cooled contain more amylose starch than warm potatoes. Amylose is a “resistant starch†and good for gut health.
Baked
For potatoes in their jackets simply cut a cross in a King Edward, Up-to-date, Dutch Cream, Pontiac, Sebago or Symfonia, rub on some olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and leave on the oven rack, cross up, for an hour or more.
Pop potatoes under or around a roast chicken or joint of meat. For a crispier version, boil peeled potatoes for 10 minutes, drain them, then shake them about in the saucepan to break up the surface. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven, turning them frequently.
A quicker way to arrive at oven-crisp potatoes is to boil them for about 15 minutes, then squash with a potato masher so they are flattened but still whole, sprinkle with olive oil, salt pepper and thyme or rosemary sprigs and crisp them in a hot oven for about 15 minutes.
Storage
Dark and dirty is the way to keep potatoes.
Do
- Choose potatoes that are firm, show no green, and are not sprouting.
- Choose unwashed potatoes if you intend to keep them for any time.
- Keep potatoes out of the light
Don’t
- Don’t leave potatoes in the plastic bag you may have bought them in
- Don’t use potatoes that have gone green
- Dont keep potatoes in the fridge
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
