The Vegetarian's Guide To Potatoes

Russet, Yukon Gold, mashed, baked, diced, there is a potato for everyone! The Vegetarian’s Guide To Potatoes sorts through how to store potatoes, choosing which one to put in your recipe + nutrition information. Yes, you can AND should be eating potatoes!

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

The Vegetarian’s Guide To Potatoes

Is A Potato Really A Vegetable?

Yes, potatoes are in the class of ‘starchy vegetables’ along with corn and green peas. Potato crops are the biggest vegetable crop in the US and they are the most consumed vegetable by Americans. The USDA reports that the average American consumes around 50 pounds per person per year! Sadly, they are mostly in the form of French fries in school cafeterias.

Nutrition Information For One Medium Potato

150 calories
Zero grams of fat, cholesterol, sodium
4 grams of protein
Excellent source of potassium (more than a banana)
High in vitamin C, B6, A, folate, magnesium, and iron
4 grams of fiber
Contains phytonutrients + antioxidants

Can You Eat Potatoes If You Are A Diabetic?

Yes! New research is emerging reassuring us that diabetics can and should incorporate potatoes into a healthy meal plan. As with any potato eating (diabetic or not), you should always balance the meal with protein + veggies. This 2020 study might help change your mind on potatoes. When comparing the overnight blood sugar of diabetics who ate a potato to those who ate basmati rice, the researchers found that those that ate the potato had lower blood sugars. This is great news for diabetics!

Check out this article for more diabetes nutrition tips: How To Eat To Prevent Diabetes

Potato Facts

Potatoes are actually starchy tubers.
There are somewhere around 4000 different varieties of potatoes found all around the world. You will probably find 4 or 5 different varieties in your local supermarket.
Runner’s World considers the potato the perfect carb. I agree. Excellent choice for pre-race carb loading. Some endurance athletes take potatoes on the go for longer distances such as ultramarathons.
Potatoes belong to the nightshade family with eggplant + tomatoes.
Contain more potassium than a banana.
There are 3 categories of potatoes: high starch (Russet), low starch (aka waxy potatoes such as red potatoes, new, fingerling), and medium starch (Yukon Gold, purple + blue, white). My other Tuesday Tips: When Eating Organic Really Matters and Guide To Buying Organic go into more detail about this.
Potatoes are on the Dirty Dozen list meaning that you should try to buy organic potatoes to avoid the high levels of pesticides (specifically Chlorpropham) found on non-organic potatoes.
How a potato is prepared is what gives it such a bad reputation. Drowning it in oil, frying it, covering it in saturated fats of cheese and butter turn a beautiful protein-rich potato into a calorie bomb.

Different Varieties Of Potatoes

High Starch Potatoes:

Russet

The starchy potato. Russet potatoes are great for baking, mashing, or frying (air frying too!). They melt or lose their shape when cooked due to their high starch content.

Medium Starch Potatoes:

Yukon Gold

AKA the all-purpose potato. They are not as starchy as Russet so they maintain their shape good enough but not perfect. These guys can be used in just about anything that calls for a potato.

Purple + Blue

Heirloom potatoes with the same antioxidant properties as blueberries. Best used for roasting, mashing, or pretty potato salads.

White

Thin-skinned, all-purpose potato with a medium-low starch content. Best used for boiling, gratins or salads but they don’t brown very well and are not widely popular.

Low Starch/Waxy Potatoes:

Red

This is your potato if you are looking for a potato that will not crumble, but not the best for a creamy mashed potato dish or if you need them to crispy up.

New

Hence their name, new potatoes are simply young potatoes. Thin skinned with a sweet + moist inside. The only catch with new potatoes is that they must be used within a few days versus other potatoes that are good for a few weeks. These guys are great for any dish you want to keep the skin on because it is so thin. Perfect for boiling, gratin, roasting, casseroles, or potato salad.

Fingerling

Long and skinny, hence the name as they are shaped like fingers. Great when you need a potato to maintain shape like in salads. They also don’t need to be peeled as their skin is fairly thin.

Sweet Potatoes:

These guys are more of a root than a potato. I’ve included them in The Vegetarian’s Guide To Potatoes as they are often used as a less starchy alternative to the traditional starchy potato AND they are super popular right now! Interestingly, many people prepare sweet potatoes with sweet toppings, but they are already sweet as is. They are perfect for mashing, baking, or tossing them with complementary salty, spicy, or smoky flavors.

How To Buy + Store Potatoes

Choose potatoes that do not have any visible cuts, rotten or moldy areas, and are not growing sprouts. Choose organic if you can. Best stored in a cool, dark place. I love to wash all of my produce as soon as it comes in the house. However, potatoes lose their protective coating when you wash them and will spoil quicker. So, wash them when you are ready to use them.