How to choose the perfect potato for your recipe?

In Canada, there are many varieties of potatoes (nearly 150!) And over 35 of them end up on our tables. Each variety brings a different flavour or texture to our dishes. You may have noticed that some harmonize more with your dish than others.   So, how do we pick the potato for a meal and what is the best method to cook it? Here are some interesting facts about potatoes that will enlighten your choice.  

To achieve the best potatoes dish ever!

  Boiled or steamed potatoes: To make a good shepherd’s pie or a creamy puree without lumps, the white or red potatoes are the best. Pick the round ones so that they will retain their shape during cooking, they will also be easier to manage after.     As they can take between 20 and 40 minutes to cook, do not hesitate to do another task during cooking time.     Fried potatoes: Potatoes containing the most starch are excellent for cooking french fries and potato chips. This characteristic assures you that while crispy on the outside, your fries will also be tender on the inside.     To make sure you get the best of your fries, let the potatoes soak for 1 hour in cold water. Rinse them and dry them well. Optimal baking takes place in two stages: two fried baths, the first at 320 ° F, the second at 375 ° F to a golden brown.     Baked potatoes: For baking, Russet or Rattes style potato is usually selected. These varieties are also very interesting for slow cooking in slow cooker recipes. Bake them between one hour and 45 minutes depending on your oven. Once they’re ready , facilitate your handling by letting them cool down before processing.  

What about other recipes?

  Duchess potatoes: Basically, it consists into  preparing a puree mixture and dough cabbage for dough, which will be passed to the pastry bag to form domes, they can be either fried or baked. Watch them carefully until they reach a crispy golden color without burning.     Stuffed potatoes: Precook them, then dig in it with a spoon before filling them generously. For this recipe, cooking time may vary depending on the stuffing. It usually takes about one hour.     Stove potatoes pan: Cook it with hot oil, then gradually lower the heat for gentle cooking inside.     In foil potatoes: The potatoes are marked and wrapped in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven or on the grill at a temperature of around 375 ° F.     Potatoes in a salad: The potatoes are delicious in a salad. They can be cooked in the pan at the same time as the other ingredients or in the oven with a simple trickle of oil for even less fat.     The potato gratin: To be perfect, this recipe takes time; cooking must be slow (maximum 300 ° F for the cooking of about 2 h). For 1 kg of potatoes, measure 1 litre of liquid cream.     Potato gnocchi: This is a puree in which flour, egg, salt, and pepper are added, in order to obtain a solid paste. We then form small balls, which are streaked with a fork, and then boiled into salty water. They can be eaten plain with butter, gnocchi can also be prepared in sauce (tomato, pesto…). To make this recipe a success, make sure your mash is strong and silky.     Whatever your recipe is, do not hesitate to keep the skin of your potatoes, it contains so many nutrients!     You still have some doubts about the appropriate potato for your recipe? Check out the packaging of our different Mamzells ranges! It shows you the perfect potato for your meal at a glance. The rest is in your hands!