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SO POTATOES ARE A PASSION FOR YOU?
Yes, I love potatoes – mashed potatoes, potato chips, even fried potatoes, potato pancakes and potato bread. I think there must be something genetic about that  - something passed down from my Irish descendants - because it certainly seems to be hardwired into my system.
The reason so many Irish grew, and depended on potatoes for food, was a result of an inheritance system that over the generations led to smaller and smaller farms. And because potatoes were the only crop that would produce enough food to feed a family in such a small area, they became a staple in Ireland – which is why the potato crop failures of the mid-19th century created a serious food shortage and famine as we all know.
Today, however, there’s an explosion in the varieties of potatoes available in the market. And as I have discovered, in my own small garden, potatoes indeed are a very easy crop to grow. You can produce a year’s supply of unique “gourmet” potatoes with very little effort and not much space.
 
YOU HAVE YOUR OWN PLOT OF POTATOES?
Yes, I do. I grow a lot of different kinds of potatoes, and I have found a great supply of interesting and unusual seed potatoes right here in Alberta.
Last year I planted a variety of really delicious heirloom varieties from seed that I obtained from Eagle Creek Seed Potatoes near Bowden in central Alberta. And I just recently received their 2007 Potato catalogue in the mail, so I will be sending my mail order soon for new seed potatoes to plant this season.
Of course, it’s early yet, but May will be here before you know it and it will be time to plant, so it’s time to order seed potatoes.
 
YOU CAN MAIL ORDER POTATOES?
Yes, Stan Mills ships his seed potatoes across the country – delivered in April, just in time for spring planting. You can order through the catalogue, or the website, at www.seedpotatoes.ca <http://www.seedpotatoes.ca>
Stan tells me that Alberta has a huge seed potato industry, one of the largest in Canada, because there aren’t a lot of potato viruses that can over winter here. He sends his potatoes to both coasts, and all points in between.
He has a great selection of potatoes, that’s growing every year, from “regular” varieties like Bintje, Russets, Red Pontiacs and Norlands, to specialty varieties like French fingerlings, yellow banana potatoes, and purple-fleshed Russian Blues. He tells me he will have a variety called Green Mountain this year, and a new pink fingerling called Pink Fir Apple.
 
SO IT’S EASY TO GROW POTATOES IN ALBERTA?
Yes, growing potatoes is fairly idiot-proof – especially if you have fairly sandy soil like I do. If you’ve ever seen potatoes sprout long white roots in your pantry, you know how fast they are to germinate.
In fact, every “eye” on a potato will grow, so you can use one potato to create several new potato plants.
It’s basically a matter of digging a shallow hole, dropping a whole (or quartered) potato into the dirt, covering it up and waiting 2-3 months before digging up the plants, and all of the potatoes which will be attached to the root system underneath.
Potatoes are heavy feeders – so it helps if you add some fertilizer. I have never added anything more than compost to my garden, and I always have a great crop of potatoes, but I might look into Stan’s “nutrient blend” this year to see if it improves my yields.
 
WHY GROW POTATOES WHEN THEY’RE SO EASY AND INEXPENSIVE TO BUY?
Well, for one thing, when you grow your own potatoes, you can be sure that they are organic.
But for me, growing potatoes insures that I have a great variety of different kinds of potatoes for cooking.
It may be easy to find a basic red Pontiac or Russet baking potato at the supermarket, but the unique gourmet fingerling and purple potatoes are a lot harder to find, and a lot more expensive. And these unique and heirloom varietals are often more delicious than the varieties more commonly grown by commercial growers who are more interested in things like disease resistance, storage and high yield than flavour.
You can also grow early, mid-season and late season potatoes, so you can have fresh new potatoes throughout the summer and fall.
Last year I harvested several different varieties of potatoes in August and September, and they are still in perfectly edible condition in my cold storage room.
 
SO WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE POTATOES TO GROW?
I think my very favourite potatoes are the banana potatoes. Like their name suggests, they are yellow in colour, all the way through, and they are small, fingerling sized potatoes, usually no more than 3 or 4 inches long. They have tender thin skins, so don’t need to be peeled, they look great on the plate and they are very waxy and firm, so they’re great for potato salads or fried with eggs for breakfast. They are also very prolific – and they store perfectly. We are still eating firm tiny potatoes that we harvested last fall.
Last year, I also tried another type of fingerling, a red-skinned French fingerling that also stays small and has a nice waxy texture, and one called La Ratte, with a unique nutty aroma.
I also like to grow Russian Blue potatoes. They are a deep navy blue, almost purple inside, with very dark blue skin. Some blue potatoes fade when cooked, but these stay deep purple and make great, colourful mashed potatoes. They look very cool on the plate, but they taste just like any other mashed potato.
 
WHAT ABOUT MORE COMMON VARIETIES
Well, I like to grow yellow-fleshed Bintje or Yukon gold potatoes – they store well and are fairly dry so good for baking and mashing. I usually grow some Red Pontiac or red Norland potatoes, too, and this year we also had Purple Vikings, which were huge and sweet, delicious as mashed potatoes.
 
SPEAKING OF MASHING, WHICH POTATO MAKES THE BEST MASHED POTATO?
Well, the drier starchier potatoes are usually the best for mashing – they almost mash themselves as they really disintegrate while cooking and they make the smoothest mashed potatoes.
You can mash any potato – even the waxier kinds – but the result will likely be a little chunky and rustic, not as creamy and smooth.
Russets or baking potatoes – the big oval white ones – are starchy and good for mashing. I also like Yukon Gold potatoes for mashing – they are a little higher in moisture and waxier, more of an all-round potato, but they have a nice golden flesh and sweet flavour which makes a nice mash. Russian Blues are starchy and dry – good for making purple mashed potatoes, which taste just like regular mashed potatoes, but are striking on the plate.
All Vikings are known as very tasty potatoes, and I’ll be sure to plant more of them this year for mashing as I think they were the most delicious mashers I grew.
 
WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO COOK A POTATO?
Well, for new potatoes – that is small young potatoes with tender skins – I just scrub them and cook them whole, unpeeled and serve them with melted butter and fresh dill. You can even make a rustic mash with small new potatoes, skin and all.
The higher moisture content, waxy potatoes like most red varieties, can simply be boiled in salted water. They can be served hot or chilled and used for potato salads or soups and stews, where you want the potato to retain its shape.
Many chefs insist that you must always boil potatoes whole, unpeeled (in their jackets) for the best mashed potatoes – then peel them and mash them while hot. This can be quite the operation – difficult to peel steaming potatoes-  but it does result in the driest, fluffiest mashed potatoes.
If the potatoes are particularly starchy, they will almost mash themselves – falling apart easily when cooked – and they can easily get waterlogged. So make sure you simmer, don’t boil the potatoes, or steam them – and take them off when they’re still firm.
If you boil potatoes, make sure to drain them really well before mashing, you can even put them back into the pot on the stove to steam away any excess moisture.
You can use any kind of potato masher. I have a regular metal one, and a new-star-shaped ergonimic version that’s supposed to be easier to use, but I find they both do a pretty good job of a starchy potato. Just make sure to mash up and down – don’t stir or potatoes can get sticky.
Another chef’s trick is to use a food mill or a ricer to puree hot potatoes – that’s an old-fashioned mashing device that looks something like a giant garlic press.
Never puree potatoes in a food processor – it breaks down the cells and results in gluey mashed potatoes, more like wallpaper paste than the creamy mashed potatoes of your dreams,
And always add the butter, and incorporate it first – before adding warm milk or cream. The butter acts as a barrier and keeps the mixture fluffy.
 
WHAT ABOUT ADDITIONS TO POTATOES – ROASTED GARLIC AND THINGS LIKE THAT?
Yes, these days mashed potatoes are fairly trendy – you often see rustic mashes or “smashed” potatoes on the menu, mashing the healthy skins in with the flesh for added texture.
I’ve seen chefs add everything from roasted garlic to horseradish and wasabi or truffle oil to their mashed potatoes. You can mash in Parmesan cheese, pesto, even chipotle chilies.
Garlic is particularly nice with mashed potatoes. If you have time, roast a whole head, loosely wrapped in foil, in a 350 F oven for about 45 minutes, they squeeze it out of the head right into your potatoes while you’re adding the butter and milk. Otherwise, just throw several cloves into the water while you’re boiling the potatoes, and mash the garlic into the mix.
You can mash potatoes with anything creamy – sometimes I use low-fat buttermilk or sour cream instead of cream, or for really decadent potatoes, use cream cheese or Italian mascarpone.
I like mashing potatoes with other root vegetables – try mashing boiled potatoes with cooked sweet potatoes and carrots or parsnips, then added some onion and ginger that’s been sautéed in butter – very delicious.
And I love the old Irish dish, colcannon – a rustic mash-up of potatoes, cabbage and onions.
 
SO DID YOU BRING US SOME RECIPES TODAY?
Yes, I have my recipe for colcannon – mashed potatoes and cabbage. That may sound odd, but you must try it – a very delicious combination.
I thought I’d include a classic potato and leek soup – because potatoes are perfect to mash into any soup or stew to add body and creamy texture.
And if you’re not the type to celebrate St. Patrick’s day with a bucket of green beer, you might just like a cocktail made with Irish whisky (the Irish answer to single malt Scotch). I have a recipe, supplied by Jameson Irish Whisky, for a modern Manhattan-style cocktail featuring Irish whisky, or you might just want to add a dram to your coffee with a spot of cream.

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©Cinda Chavich 2007

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