.Potato Info
Source of Recipe
Cooking for Graduate Students & Other Beginning Kitchen Dwellers (James W. Cooper)
Recipe Link: http://wywahoos.org/wahoos/cookbook/cover.htm
Potatoes come in two basic kinds: bakers and general purpose (sometimes called boilers). Bakers are generally russets (sometimes called Idahos, since many are grown there) and are drier and more mealy than boilers. They have the thicker skins more suitabl e for baking. Buy russets primarily for baking, although they can be used for any purpose.
General purpose potatoes have thin skins and a more waxy character and are better suited to boiling and for mashed potatoes. Since they hold their shape better, they are preferable for use in soups or salads. Red potatoes such as Red Pontiac and yellows s uch as Yukon Gold are excellent examples.
In picking potatoes at the market, avoid any with green skins or green flesh when you peel them. The green color indicates the presence of solanine, a toxic substance that could cause stomach aches and indigestion. If you fund green on a potato you are peeling, cut it all off and cut about 1/2" deep and discard all of that as well. The remaining potato should be edible.
You really only need to peel potatoes for mashed or scalloped potatoes. The rest of time leave the skin on as it has much of the nutrition and adds flavor. Peel potatoes under luke warm running water to rinse off the mud. If you are not peeling them, wash them off under running water, using a dish or vegetable brush if needed.
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