Before we begin, what do you know about the types of potatoes you cook with? Are familiar with the consistencies and texture needed to enhance the full flavor of your potato dish? Have you been using the same varieties of potatoes when you cook for the holidays?
If you can’t answer these questions, you have to check out our list of potato variants! There’s more to those spuds than just sweet and plain. You must familiarize yourself with the different types of textures each type features. A quick Google search shows you the different categories that cooks use to describe different kinds of potatoes. Some define them using starchy, waxy, and a little bit of both while others categorize spuds as smooth, salad, or fluffy. With this, you can bring out the best flavors in every potato recipe you find online.
Several cultures and cuisines highlight the versatile flavor of potatoes. Don’t confine yourself to cooking boiled or fried spuds. In truth, there are several ways to cook and prepare potatoes. With their variety of shapes and colors, you can serve spuds in multiple ways. Each kind also showcases its unique flavor once cooked, roasted, or baked. Discover which ones fit best with your favorite potato recipes with our detailed list.
1. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are the types of potatoes that come in a variety of shapes and colors. Each variant also offers different sweet and nutty flavors once served. Despite their similar appearances, sweet potatoes are distant relatives of regular potatoes. Sweet potatoes belong to the Plantae family Convolvulaceae, the morning glory family that grows into trees, shrubs, and herbs. Meanwhile, normal potatoes are part of the Solanaceae family, the nightshades.
Aside from their rich flavors, sweet potatoes offer nutrition and antioxidants like beta carotene and protein. Each bite of cooked sweet potato is enough to fill your stomach ’til your next meal. The classic ways of cooking sweet potatoes are roasting and baking. You can also try serving a Sweet Potato Pie and coffee as a filling snack to your friends and loved ones.
2. Russet Potatoes
Russet potatoes are probably the most famous among all the types of potatoes on our list. These spuds usually make their way to almost every grocery or farmer’s market. They also grow well in different parts of the world thanks to several available cultivars and varieties. In the United States, russet potatoes are also called Idaho potatoes.
Because of their light and fluffy texture, russet potatoes are perfect for multiple potato recipes. Opting to leave the skin on or off won’t affect the dish. However, we advise you to wash the spuds first and cut off the remaining dark spots. It may sound complicated but beginner cooks can easily cook Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes. Meanwhile, skilled home cooks can try making their potato gnocchi using russet potatoes.
