Potatoes Patatoes, they really aren't the same.

Potatoes come in many forms. There are popular recipes everyone knows like french fries and mashed potatoes. Then there are a few most people haven't heard of like duchess potatoes. There is a difference in how each potato is cooked. There is a large variety of potatoes. Let's chat about potatoes.

When it comes to potato, there is so much to discuss. Like the actual variety of potato. There are 200 types of potato found in the United States of America. There is said to be around 4,000 varieties altogether. Although there are so many types it can be broken down into seven categories. Russet, red, white, yellow, blue/purple, fingerling, and petite. Now even though there are all these varieties we mostly use russet.

Russet is an Irish potato, that grows easily. Now, this potato is mainly used for french fries, baked and mashed potatoes because it's so mealy and most are large. Russets are more commonly known as Idaho potatoes. Then there is the red potato or the red gold potato. This is known as North American potato because it was "bred" in Canada/ Alaska. These potatoes are used for mashed potatoes and baked. These are described as sweeter. The meat is less grainy than a russet.

Yellow potatoes, white, purple, and fingerling are lesser-known potatoes. Mostly used the same as russets but only for a flavor profile. Each potato tastes slightly different. Different enough that you can tell but not so you can't tell it's a potato. The difference is the texture of the potato. For example, red potatoes are creamy and taste great as roasted potatoes. A russet with its hearty interior tastes fluffy and is best used as a french fry. The reason is the outside gets really crunchy while the inside stays fluffy.

There are literally 100's of potato recipes. The ones most commonly known are french fries, mashed potatoes, and baked potatoes. But there are lesser-known dishes like duchess potatoes, which is a mix of mashed and baked. Then there is the main side dish of summer barbeques, potato salad. Potato salad is lesser-known because not everyone eats it. It's more a southern USA trend. Don't get me wrong plenty of countries make potato salad but it's more mainline in the USA. Now I can't talk about potatoes without mentioning our friends from the North and their delicious poutine. In Canada, poutine is like fries in the USA. Poutine, fries with gravy and cheese curds. Not cheese but curds. Cheese curds are loose particles of cheese that fall off while making cheese rounds.

Potatoes are a delicious food to eat. They are hearty and filling. Potato is a good substitute if you are cutting back on meat. They can be mashed and seasoned, used for filling. You could make a "burger". You could make scalloped potatoes, tater tots, smothered potatoes. We could make potatoes O'Brien. We have hashbrowns, croquettes, and potato pancakes. Potatoes are also used to make other items namely vodka. Also, a pasta made from potatoes called gnocchi. Potatoes are a vegetable that is very versatile.