SMALL WINS+: HOT POTATO(ES)
SMALL WINS+: HOT POTATO(ES)
potatoes 101, including the variety that beats out Maris Pipers + 6 tips for perfect roasties
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Welcome to Small Wins+!
SW+ is a supercharged version of the newsletter for paid subscribers.
In addition to supporting the time and expense that goes into producing the (always free) fortnightly posts, paid subscribers receive a bumper bonus post each month containing a deep-dive into a particular area or category — so far: jam-making, kitchen organisation, pasta and today’s 101, potatoes! Coming up next: chicken and Christmas. Consider these a handy reference guide that you can return to again and again.
Love,
Alexina
Today we are talking about everyone’s favourite tuber: the POTATO.
Potatoes originated in South America and made their way east to Europe and Asia via Spanish colonisers, before eventually reaching North America through the wave of Irish immigration catalysed by the Great Famine of 1845-1852.
Today, potatoes are the most popular vegetable in the world (375 million tonnes were produced globally in 2022) — and no wonder! From a farming perspective potatoes are adaptable to different climates, relatively high yielding and easy to store for long periods of time. From a consumer perspective, they’re ready to be boiled, baked, mashed, fried, roasted or crushed at a moment’s notice. The power of the potato, then, lies in its versatility.
There are many delicious examples of potatoes cooked simply because, let’s face it, potatoes + fat + salt is a pretty foolproof formula. But potatoes are also excellent carriers of flavour — which is perhaps why they feature as much in Indian cuisine as they do in British or Irish. All of this to say: this is a real bumper post and I hope you find it useful!
In this post:
The potato variety that gives Maris Pipers a run for their money (available at one of the major supermarkets!)
The potato I turn to most often: easiest, + crispiest (no peeling, no chopping, minimal faffing)
One mashed potato recipe, two different seasons: the lighter, summer version (hello buttermilk) and the rich, winter version that perfect for entertaining (hiiii confit garlic!)
Excellent potato dauphinoise, from Paris with love
The most flavourful way to eat a potato (so delicious I cooked it in the first round of MasterChef!)
Fries without fuss! No peeling or soaking, no a deep-fat fryer or a thermometer, and all coming together in <30 minutes. So good.
Jamie’s baked potatoes (Jamie being my best friend’s husband, not Jamie Oliver).
My top 6 tips for the ultimate roast potato — perfect for your Sunday lunch and soon to be perfect on your Christmas table!
The best frozen potato (which also might be the most underrated potato??)
A potato-related ingredient that you ought to know about.
Some fancy ways to play with your potatoes, for the cheffy cooks amongst us.
And of course there’s a playlist to go along with all this — this one’s called SALTY.
Let’s get into it!
1.
MOVE OVER MARIS PIPERS
For many years Maris Pipers have been the default potato and, look, they’ve been doing a great job — no complaints from me. Still, there’s another potato in town that you really ought to know about: a potato whose nickname is ‘the butterless baker’ for its impossibly buttery flesh.