Potato Varieties

Russet Potatoes

This is the most widely used potato variety in Wisconsin and the United States.  These are available year-round.  These potatoes are high in starch and are characterized by netted brown skin and white flesh.  Russets are light and fluffy when cooked, making them the ideal choice for baking and mashing.  They are also wonderful for frying and roasting.

Round White Potatoes

Although round whites are grown and used most often in the Eastern United States, Wisconsin still grows a small amount of round whites every year.  These potatoes are available year-round.  Round whites are medium in starch level and have smooth, light tan skin with white flesh.  These are creamy in texture and hold their shape well after cooking.  Regarded an all-purpose potato, round whites are very versatile and can be used in most potato preparations, but are ideal for scalloped potatoes, roasting and potato salads.

Round Red Potatoes

These potatoes are available mostly in late summer and early fall.  Round Reds are characterized by their rosy red skin and white flesh.  These potatoes are generally round, though some may be more oblong.  They have a firm, smooth and moist texture, making them well suited for salads, roasting, boiling and steaming.  Round reds are often referred to as "new potatoes"; however, technically, "new" refers to any variety of potatoes that is harvested before reaching maturity.

Yellow Flesh Potatoes

These potatoes are very popular in Europe and increasingly popular in the United States, and not grown in many other states than Wisconsin.  Yellow flesh potatoes are available in late summer and early fall.  These potatoes have a dense, creamy texture, which makes it a good baking, mashing and roasting potato.  With their golden color, you can be fooled into thinking that they are buttered.  The most popular Yellow flesh variety is the Yukon Gold potato.

Blue and Purple Potatoes

These potatoes originated in South America and are not widely cultivated in the United States. Most Wisconsin blue and purple potatoes are most available in the fall. These relatively uncommon tubers have a subtle nutty flavor and flesh that ranges in hue from dark blue or lavender to white. Microwaving preserves the color the best, but steaming and baking are also favorable methods of preparation.

Atlantic Russet
Utilization:  Dual purpose chipping and table variety
Tuber Shape:  Round to oval
Skin Color:  Buff
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  High specific gravity, low sugar content after 50° F storage

Century Russet
Utilization:  Full season fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Blocky to long
Skin Color:  Light Russet
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Good boiling and baking quality, will not process well for fries

Frontier Russet
Utilization: Early direct delivery or stored for fresh market, processing or dehydrated products
Tuber Shape:  Oblong
Skin Color:  Medium russet
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Medium specific gravity, medium sugar content after 45°F storage.

Goldrush
Utilization:  Fresh market (baking, boiling) and processing 
Tuber Shape:  Oblong
Skin Color:  Russet
Flesh Color: 
Consumer Quality: 

Norchip Russet
Utilization:  Chipping - Direct delivery or stored
Tuber Shape:  Round to oblong
Skin Color:  Smooth, white
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Medium specific gravity, low sugar content after storing 50° F

Ranger Russet
Utilization:  Direct delivery or stored fresh market, processing french-fried or dehydrated product
Tuber Shape:  Long, slightly flattened
Skin Color:  Medium russet
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  High specific gravity, medium sugar content after storage at 45°F

**Russet Burbank
Utilization:  Direct delivery or stored for fresh market or processing into french-fried and dehydrated product.
Tuber Shape:  Long, slightly flattened
Skin Color:  Medium russet
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Medium specific gravity, medium sugar content after storage at 45°F

**Russet Norkotah
Utilization:  Early direct delivery or stored for fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Long, slightly flattened
Skin Color:  Medium russet
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Low specific gravity (average 1.065), medium to high sugar content after storage at 45°F, strong flavor after storage

Shepody
Utilization:  Early direct or stored for processing into french-fried product
Tuber Shape:  Long, flattened
Skin Color:  Buff to white
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Medium to low specific gravity (averaging 1.078), high sugar content after storage at 45°F

Snowden
Utilization:  Chipping direct from field or from storage
Tuber Shape:  Round
Skin Color: Tan to buff
Flesh Color: White to cream
Consumer Quality: Medium to low specific gravity (averaging 1.077)

Superior
Utilization:  Chipping and fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Round
Skin Color: Buff to white
Flesh Color: White
Consumer Quality:  Medium to low specific gravity (averaging 1.073)

ROUND RED

Cherry Red
Utilization:  Fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Round to oblong
Skin Color:  Red
Flesh Color:  White to cream
Consumer Quality:  Low specific gravity (averaging 1.069)

Chieftan
Utilization:  Fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Round to oblong
Skin Color:  Pink to red
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Low specific gravity (averaging 1.066)

LaRouge
Utilization:  Fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Round to oblong
Skin Color:  Red to pink
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Low specific gravity (averaging 1.067)

Norland
Utilization:  Early direct delivery for fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Round to oval
Skin Color:  Light red (medium red for Red Norland)
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Low specific gravity (averaging 1.064), high sugar content after storage at 40°F to 45°F

Pontiac
Utilization:  Fresh market
Tuber Shape:  Round
Skin Color:  Red to pink
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:  Lover specific gravity (averaging 1.061)

Red Bliss
Utilization:  Early summer harvest, fresh market (steamed, oven roasted)
Tuber Shape: Small round, no larger than 1.5 inches in diameter
Skin Color:  Red
Flesh Color:  White
Consumer Quality:

Ruby Crescent
Utilization:  Fresh market (salads, roasted, steamed)
Tuber Shape:  Slender fingerling
Skin Color: Ruby
Flesh Color: Yellow
Consumer Quality:
Flavor: Deep, earthly

Yukon Gold
Utilization:  Early summer variety for fresh market (baking, mashing) and chipping
Tuber Shape:  Round to oblong
Skin Color: Tan, Buff to white with pink eyes
Flesh Color:  Light to medium yellow
Consumer Quality:  Medium to low specific gravity (averaging 1.073) stores fair
Flavor:  Buttery, smooth

Yellow Finnish (a.k.a. Yellow Fin)
Utilization:  Available fall to spring, fresh market
Tuber Shape: Small round
Skin Color:  Golden yellow
Flesh Color: Light to medium yellow
Consumer Quality:
Flavor: Silky smooth, buttery

Banana Fingerling (a.k.a. Russian Fingerling)
Utilization:  Late summer to early winter availability, fresh market
Tuber Shape: Long, crescent shape
Skin Color: Yellow
Flesh Color: Yellow
Consumer Quality:  Limited storage life

All Blue (a.k.a. Russian Blue)
Utilization:  Fresh market (makes great mashed potatoes, gnocchi, salads) and chipping
Tuber Shape:  Oblong
Skin Color:  Blue to purple
Flesh Color: Mottled blue to beet purple
Consumer Quality:  Low specific gravity (averaging 1.062)

Caribe
Utilization:  Harvested in mid-fall, fresh market (salads, home fries)
Tuber Shape: Small round
Skin Color: Deep purple
Flesh Color:  Purple
Consumer Quality: Good storage quality