How to Pick the Best Potato for any Recipe

It can be tough to know what type of potato to use when cooking specific recipes, as there are so many out there.

With that in mind, 5-Minute Crafts created a guide to help you with this.

1. Red bliss potatoes

This type of potato is excellent for boiling, and they won’t crisp when they’re fried or roasted. Their skin is red, and their flesh is white. Red bliss potatoes are classified as waxy, but they’re also moist, with a high sugar content. Lastly, when they’re mashed, you’ll find that they can also become gummy.

2. Russet potatoes

These can also be called old potatoes, baking potatoes, or even Idaho potatoes when they’re specifically grown there. They’re best used when baked, mashed, or even deep-fried. Their skin is rough and netted with a brownish color and several eyes. When cut, you’ll find a white flesh to them. Russet potatoes are low in moisture but high in starch, so they cook up dry and fluffy.

3. Yellow potatoes

You can use them in dishes that require boiling, steaming, roasting, grilling, or au gratin (sprinkled with breadcrumbs or grated cheese). They often have low, to medium starch, with a creamy yet moist but succulent texture. Their flavor is buttery, and as for their skin, it’s commonly yellow and thin with a golden flesh.

4. Kennebec potatoes

This is an all-purpose type of potato that can maintain its shape when cooked. They’re ideal for fries, potato chips, and even hash browns. Their skin is thin and tan, with brown spots and flesh that is rich in starch (amylopectin).

5. Purple potatoes

Purple potatoes have a very distinctive grayish-blue to purple skin, and their flesh is often blue. They’re low in starch and can be prepared in a lot of different ways. For example, they can be boiled, steamed, roasted, fried, mashed, or even placed in stews, salads, or made au gratin (sprinkled with breadcrumbs or grated cheese).

6. La Ratte potatoes

La Ratte potatoes are ideal for purées. They’re dense and hold a lot of fat. You’ll also find that their skin is similar to yellow potatoes, with waxy and yellow flesh. They hold their shape well when cooked and can even be a great addition to roasts.