Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes & Yams

Potatoes are one of the most popular and most versatile vegetables in the world. They are tuber vegetables originating from the Americas, but are now heavily grown in the UK which is where we source most of our potatoes. Potatoes are firm, but soften when cooked and can be boiled, mashed, fried, roasted, stewed and chipped to form fries and crisps.

The common potato is oval and a pale yellow colour with brown spots and white flesh. There are many different varieties of the common potato, the most popular being the Maris Piper as they are for all round use. Depending on the variety, the potato can be waxy and smooth or starchy and floury. Smooth potatoes hold their shape when cooked, so are better for stews, salads and scalloping. Whereas, starchy potatoes become fluffy when cooked and absorb flavour well, so are best for mashing, roasting, baking, chipping and frying.

Sweet potatoes are oval shaped with more tapered ends in comparison to common potatoes; they originate from South and Central America and have reddish-brown skin with orange flesh. They are sweet in flavour and popular in American cuisine scalloped and candied or as fries.

Yams have rough, textured brown skin similar to tree bark and pale off-white flesh. Its flavour is similar to a common potato, yet more neutral and its texture is starchy. They are perfect for a stews, soups and casseroles, as they will absorb some liquid when cooking which aids the starchiness.