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10 best salad potatoes to grow
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Published: Friday, 8 March 2019 at 10:01 am
Discover the best salad potatoes for flavour and yield, in our guide.
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Salad potatoes come in many shapes, sizes and colours. They're well worth growing, as they're such a versatile crop – delicious served hot with a knob of butter, or combined with any number of ingredients in a potato salad. All salad potatoes share a firm, waxy texture and many have an intense, nutty flavour.
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For many years the most common salad potato was 'Jersey Royal' – revered by the greengrocer as the herald of spring. With today's interest in 'grow your own', many more varieties are on offer to growers, with mail-order specialists offering the widest selection.
Salad potatoes are a great source of energy, fibre, potassium and vitamin B. Although potatoes don’t count towards your five a day, they are fat free and nutritious. Skin colour doesn't affect the taste of the potato, but the skin does add to the flavour, so don't peel potatoes unless you have to. Another reason to keep the skin is that it contains high levels of nutrients.
To help you decide which potato varieties to grow, we've chosen our Top 10 salad potatoes for flavour, below.
Advice for buying potatoes
- Potatoes are available from a range of garden centres and nurseries, with many offering online sales. If you're a member of an allotment association, you may be able to buy potatoes direct from the 'allotment shop' at a reduced price
- Check the seed potatoes thoroughly when they arrive/before you buy. Make sure they're firm and avoid any with very long roots or any with signs of mould
Where to buy seed salad potatoes online
'Nicola' (second early)
White skinned potato 'Nicola'
Potato 'Nicola' is our top tasting salad potato, without a doubt. It has great depth of flavour and copes better than many other varieties if growing conditions are less than ideal.
- Buy Potato 'Nicola' from Suttons, Crocus and Thompson & Morgan
'Heather' (second early)
Purple-skinned potato 'Heather'
Potato 'Heather' has purple skin that fades when cooked. Good creamy white flesh with a deep flavour.
'Maris Peer' (second early)
White-skinned potato 'Maris Peer'
'Maris Peer' A dense, heavy, waxy texture with a classic, slightly sweet taste. Heavy yield, easy to grow.
- Buy Potato 'Maris Peer' from Suttons, Crocus and Thompson & Morgan
'Pink Duke of York' (first early)
Potato 'Pink Duke of York'
Potato 'Pink Duke of York' has white flesh and an earthy taste. It's not as waxy as some, but superb eaten cold.
'Ratte' (maincrop)
Long narrow 'Ratte' potatoes
'Ratte' has distinctive long shape, nutty and creamy, suitable for roasting and boiling. Waxy, firm and easy to grow.
- Buy Potato 'Ratte' from Suttons and Thompson & Morgan
'Red Duke of York' (first early)
'Red Duke of York' potatoes
'Red Duke of York' has pink skin survives cooking. Less waxy than others, but holds together well. Superb flavour, easy to grow.
- Buy Potato 'Red Duke of York' from Suttons, Crocus and Thompson & Morgan
'Lady Christi' (first early)
White-skinned 'Lady Christl' potatoes
'Lady Christl' has firm texture, waxy flesh. Very quick growing, trouble-free and produces a good yield of tubers.
- Buy Potato 'Lady Christl' from Suttons, Crocus and Thompson & Morgan
'Charlotte' (second early)
White-skinned 'Charlotte' potatoes
'Charlotte' is one of the most popular, with a large, oval shape. Thin skin and a hint of sweetness in the flesh, easy to grow.
- Buy Potato 'Charlotte' from Suttons, Crocus and Thompson & Morgan
'Ulster Classic' (first early)
Rosy 'Ulster Classic' potatoes
All our tasters liked this nutty heritage potato, one of our chef’s favourites. Disease-resistant, good yield.
'Anya' (second early)
White-skinned knobly 'Anya' potatoes
'Anya' has a pleasant knobbly, oval shape. It's flavour is nutty flavour, and its flesh, firm, very waxy and smooth.
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- Buy Potato 'Anya' from Suttons, and Thompson & Morgan
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