A guide to potato variety selection in Western Australia

When it comes to choosing the right spud for a dish, it can feel way more complicated than it needs to be with different packaging and labelling in every store. However, with a little inside knowledge you can simplify the spud selection process and say no-more to soggy chips!

Before you choose your spuds make sure to look for the variety name of the potato on the tag or stamp on pre-pack bags of potatoes. Varieties in bags can change throughout the year when new crops come into season. However, as long as the cooking type of the spud in the bag is the same – you are good to go!

Loose fill potatoes usually have the variety name on the signage where the price is. If you can’t find the variety name, make sure to ask the store manager.

Farmers Markets are also great to find new and speciality varieties such as the recently introduced Prince of Orange. This variety will start to appear in stores on and off while volumes increase. It has yellow flesh with orange skin and roasts up beautifully!

Check out our Potato Hub article on where to buy potatoes for more information on some great places to try.

Roasting

You just can’t beat a classic roast! To make your meal a winner we generally recommend going with Canberra, Rodeo or Mozart. We also recommend a Kiplfer for a really delicious, gourmet option! Carisma (otherwise known as SpudLite) is also a great roaster!

Mashing

Mash should be creamy and smooth. We suggest choosing a yellow flesh potato to get the best results, such as Royal Blue, Maranca, Maris Piper or Cashmere Gold.

Boiling

Boiling up some spuds for a classic potato salad? Look for something that will retain firmness and not break down after cooking. We suggest going with the varieties such as White Star, baby Nadine or Sifra. Cashmere Gold is also a great option in this category.

Home fries

Whether you air fry or deep fry, you can get more crunch with these options – Carisma, Royal Blue, Soprano and Sifra.

Tip: rest your chopped up spuds in salted water for an hour or two, drain and pat dry prior to cooking to get an even better result!

All rounders:

Not sure what you are cooking this week? Try these all-rounders and you can’t go wrong no matter what you end up making.

Royal Blue
Carisma (SpudLite)
Canberra

Another option if you can find them is Prince of Orange potato (pictured)- a new variety being trialled on the market – another great all rounder!