THE POTATO - Few foods are as versatile, delicious, or as nutritious as the potato. A member of the night shade family, it was once thought to be poisonous. We can thank Sir Walter Raleigh for debunking this superstition by planting them on property he owned in Ireland. The Irish began growing and eating potatoes in big quantities, and today, hundreds of varieties are grown around the world.
Storage & Selection
Potatoes, regardless of their variety, should be well shaped, firm with a relatively smooth skin and only a few shallow eyes. Pick those with good color without cuts, dark or soft spots, wrinkles or wilted skin, or any that have started to sprout. Potatoes that have been exposed to the light too long will have a green tinge. This is caused by the alkaloid solanine, which is toxic if eaten in quantity, so cut or scrape any green portion off before using that potato. Potatoes like cool (45°F to 50°F) humid (but not wet) surroundings, but refrigeration can turn the starch in the potatoes to sugar and may tend to darken them when cooked. Store in burlap, brown paper, or perforated plastic bags away from light, in the coolest, non-refrigerated, and well-ventilated part of the house. Under ideal conditions they can last up to three months this way, but more realistically, figure three to five weeks. New potatoes should be used within one week of purchase. Don't store onions and potatoes together, as the gases they each give off, will cause the other to decay.
Preparation
Select the variety that's best for the way you want to use it, and leave the skin on if possible. Remove any deep eyes, sprouts, or green spots, and scrub under cold water before cooking. It is recommended you cook potatoes in stainless steel pots, as aluminum or iron will discolor them. Peeled raw potatoes will also discolor if exposed to the air, so if you can't cook them immediately, put them in cold water with a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar, until you can.
Varieties
Russet Burbank is the workhorse of potatoes. It is oblong, russet brown in color with netted or somewhat rough skin. It is primarily used for baking and for French fries because of its high starch content which makes it fluffy when cooked. Rosset Norkotah, Centennial Russet, and new russets such as the HiLite Russet, and Ranger Russet, are other varieties that give the name more versatility in boiling, mashing, and roasting.
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Red potatoes: Round red potatoes have a rosy red skin with white flesh. Red Norlands, Pontiac, Red Lasoda, Sangre, and Larouge, are the main varieties. Chiefton, Viking, and Red Ruby are less common. Their waxy texture makes them perfect for boiling but they can be used for any cooking purpose. Cook them unpeeled, and mash, or use in a potato salad for a different look.
White potatoes: Round whites such as the Superior are light to medium brown in color, and are an all-purpose potato used mostly for boiling and baking. Long whites such as the White Rose are grown in California during the spring and summer. They have an oval shape with a thin, light tan, almost translucent skin and are good for boiling and roasting as well as in potato salads.
Yellow-fleshed potatoes: Yellow-fleshed potatoes such as Yukon Gold seem richer and less in need of butter than others.
Blue (purple) potatoes: Blue potatoes are somewhat of a novelty, although they’ve been
around for thousands of years. The outside is deep blue or purple and the flesh ranges from blue to white.
Fingerlings: These are about the length of your pinkie finger and are wonderful for roasting.
New potatoes: These are a variety of young potatoes that 
haven’t had time to convert their sugar fully to starch. They have a crisp waxy texture with thin, undeveloped wispy skins. Their small size makes them perfect to cook whole boiled or pan-roasted. They are excellent for potato salad because they retain their shape after being cooked and cut.
Sweet Potatoes: The sweet potato is in the morning glory family. It is an enlarged storage root that comes in many different shapes, sizes, and colors.California grows both “dry flesh” and “moist flesh” varieties. The “moist flesh” type is sometimes referred to as a yam, and the “dry flesh” as a sweet potato. They are both sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are native to Central America and Peru. A true yam is native to Africa. The term “yam” came to be synonymous with sweet potatoes because Louisiana used the term to market their moist, orange sweet potatoes.
Farmers' markets offer the widest selection of fresh baby potatoes, but if you can't find golf-ball-size versions of any of the varieties in this recipe, simply purchase large potatoes and cut them into 1-1/2-inch pieces.
Tri-colored Potatoes with Pesto and Parmesan
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
2 large shallots
4 garlic cloves Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1-1/2 pounds red-skinned new potatoes
1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter)
1 pound blue potatoes (each about 1-1/2 inches in diameter) 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Blend 4 tablespoons olive oil, basil, shallots, and garlic in processor until smooth. Season basil sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss all potatoes with 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in large bowl to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast potatoes until almost tender, about 35 minutes. Pour basil sauce over potatoes and toss to coat. Continue roasting potatoes until golden brown and tender when pierced with skewer, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Add cheese and toss to coat.
Visit your farmers' market for all kinds of potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, and other "root veggies" this time of year. Great for making stews, soups, and more. Visit The Healthy Potato for more info and PCFMA for potato recipes.
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