Where Amazing Potatoes Are : North Dakota !

Cultivar Selection

Potato cultivars vary in appearance, maturity, growing requirements and culinary quality, and are an excellent source of nutrients, such as potassium. Potatoes are versatile and convenient. You can prepare them as baked, boiled, chipped, fried and roasted, and use them in soups, salads and stew.

Choose cultivars that suit your culinary needs and those suited to your local growing conditions. Most early cultivars will provide you with “new” potatoes, often by the Fourth of July. Those with a later maturity will require 100 days or more from emergence to produce a potato crop with acceptable yield. Table 1 lists some of the cultivars suitable for production in northern Plains gardens.

Skin or flesh color does not necessarily determine the best use of a potato cultivar; instead, the texture of the tuber determines the best use. Cultivars that are high in starch content, or dry matter, are mealy, tend to bake with a fluffy texture and make excellent fries and chips due to low oil absorption and generally light color. Those with a waxy texture are lower in starch content and specific gravity, and frequently higher in sugar content. These cultivars hold together better during boiling and are preferred for salads, soups and stews.
Red-skinned cultivars

Red-skinned cultivars provide an attractive contrast to meat and other vegetables, and tend to have lower starch content and a waxy texture, making them most suitable for boiling, roasting, salads, soups and stews. They may have a sweet flavor, particularly after cold storage. Typically, they are round, although oblong or oval cultivars are becoming common. The majority have white flesh. Several new cultivars, particularly those from Europe, have varying shades of yellow flesh. Some consumers feel these have a “nuttier” flavor. Red-fleshed, red-skinned cultivars also are finding a niche in garden catalogs, garden centers, farmers markets and upscale restaurants.
White-skinned cultivars

White-skinned potato cultivars may be high or low in starch content. Those with high levels tend to have a mealy texture and are most suited to chipping or frying, particularly if they accumulate low levels of sugar during growth and storage. Those with lower levels have a more waxy texture, thus hold together better during boiling or roasting. Typically, white-skinned cultivars have white flesh; however, shades of yellow predominate the majority of cultivars popular in Europe, Mexico and South America. Yukon Gold, a very versatile, yellow-fleshed cultivar, is widely adapted and the most popular in North America.
Russet-skinned cultivars

Russet cultivars are characterized by their brown, netted skin. The majority of cultivars are oblong to long. Dual-purpose cultivars are suited for making french fries and other frozen processed products, as well as for baking. These cultivars tend to have high dry-matter content, and several accumulate low levels of sugar, making them suitable for processing. Some cultivars, such as Russet Norkotah, are widely adapted, but have lower dry-matter content, making them useful for baking and American fries.


Table 1. Potato cultivars suitable for garden production in the northern Plains.
Cultivar Use Description Maturity* Additional Comments
Dakota Jewel Boiling
Microwaving
Roasting
Salad
Soup Round to oval tuber type with excellent bright red skin. Yield potential is medium. Medium Tubers size early. Hollow heart occasionally has been noted if tubers exceed 8 ounces. Good storage properties and long dormancy.
Dakota Pearl Chipping
Mashing Very smooth, uniform, round tubers with bright white skin and flesh. Medium
Dakota Rose Boiling
Roasting
Salad
Soup Oval tuber type with bright red skin. Yield potential is medium. Medium tolate
Goldrush Baking Attractive, oblong, blocky tubers with medium russet skin and light pink eyes. Medium Resists hollow heart. Frequently forms hearts or glove-shaped tubers.
Kennebec Baking
Boiling
Chipping
Mashing
Lefse White skinned with oval to oblong tuber type. Very high yielding. Late Susceptible to scab, blackleg, growth cracks and hollow heart.
Red Norland Boiling
Roasting
Salad Round tuber type with bright red skin. Medium yield potential. Early Typical garden cultivar.
Red Pontiac Boiling
Mashing
Salad Oval to oblong tuber type with pale red skin and deep eyes. Medium late Susceptible to hollow heart.
Russet Norkotah Baking Attractive, long tubers with medium russet skin and golden eyes. Medium yield potential. Early Susceptible to heat and water stress. Does not tolerate hail damage well.
Viking Boiling
Mashing
Roasting
Salad Oval tuber type with red skin and very white flesh. High yield potential. Early Tubers tend to get large as few are set per plant. Resistant to hollow heart.
Yukon Gold Baking
Boiling
Mashing
Roasting
Salad
Soup
Stew Oval tuber type with white skin and yellow flesh. Eyes are pink. Medium to high yield potential. Early Tubers weighing more than 8 ounces may develop hollow heart.