Starchy potatoes mash, bake, fry and roast well, while waxy ones work best in casseroles and salads because they hold their shape. Look for smooth, firm spuds without cracks or soft spots. Whether you peel is your choice.
New potatoes (pictured): Young potatoes, any variety, have very thin skins, less starch and a waxy texture. Best for boiling, grilling and roasting.
Russets: Also called Idaho or baking potatoes, these thick-skinned tan spuds are mealy with lots of eyes and a high starch content. Best for baking, grilling, mashing, frying.
Round white potatoes: With light beige skin and white flesh, these medium-starch, waxy-textured potatoes work for boiling and frying.
Long white potatoes: The thin-skinned oval spuds' firm, waxy texture and tiny eyes make them an all-purpose choice.
Round red potatoes: Thin-skinned, these rosy-colored potatoes have a firm, waxy texture. Use in dishes where shape is important.
Yellow potatoes: These thin-skinned beauties come in varieties such as Yukon gold and Finnish yellow. They're smooth-textured and buttery--good for any dish.
Sweet potatoes: These spuds fall into two categories: orange, moist and sweet, or yellow, dry and unsweet. Either kind is good for baking, grilling, roasting and boiling.
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