What's For Dinner #118 - the Pollen Is Covering Everything! Edition - May 2025

But would have been tastier is the key question

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A fun night out after a long week (and its only Wednesday!)

We started with the jalapeño wontons, which were delicious. My pub steak was perfectly cooked and a huge portion which I was not expecting. Also, an excellent martini, in which the bartender just swirled the vermouth in the shaker and out it went. Would highly recommend for the trifecta of food, drink, and atmosphere.

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The only potato “varieties” I’ve seen in the US is red, white, or yellow :smile:

I haven’t seen heritage potatoes for sale at grocery stores too often. Beyond the general white, red, russet, yellow. Fingerling and blue potatoes, I haven’t seen specific varieties mentioned at grocery stores. It’s the same with corn, usually, that different varieties could be mixed together at the food terminal or other stops along the way, and the specific variety isn’t usually mentioned.

There was a vendor at the Union Square Green market in NYC who used to sell over a dozen different potatoes at the peak of the summer. I believe they were grown in the Hudson Valley. That is the only place I’ve bought German and Austrian yellow-fleshed varieties to eat at home. I don’t remember if they were heritage varieties. Those potatoes were sold by variety, not simply by the colour of the flesh or skin.

I grow 5 or 6 types of potatoes most summers. There are at least 30 types of seed potatoes I can purchase online or at specialized nurseries.

This year I am growing La Ratte fingerling potatoes, which I have seen in stores occasionally.

I like Bintjes, which are a firm yellow- fleshed Dutch potato.

My DCs prefer yellow fleshed potatoes and red-skinned potatoes, so that’s what I’m focusing on growing this year. I’ve been trying out some rarer seed potatoes lately, including a European red- skinned yellow-fleshed potato.

Kennebec (white, originating in Maine in 1941)and Chieftain(red, originating in Iowa in 1957) are heritage potato varietals that are very common in Canada. A lot are sold at grocery stores, used at chip wagons and sold at restaurants, but the businesses usually don’t mention which varieties they are selling or using.

My local Five Guys usually has a sign mentioning which potatoes they’re using for fries that day, and where the potatoes were sourced.

https://heritagepotato.ca/heritage-potato-varieties/

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I knew there were heirloom potato varieties (just like apples), but I’d never heard of “Linda Potatoes” before here in the States. I love the idea of taters with very potatoey flavor!

Looks like they were developed in Germany and are very European-centric. “Today Linda potatoes are grown throughout Europe, including Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Scotland, and are sold as a specialty variety in local markets and select grocers.”

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Short rib tacos and an NA mango mule at a “cantina” near my Toronto hotel.

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Those fries needed 30-45 more seconds in the fryolator, IMO. But this meal sounds perfect! I’ve been craving a burger - I think it’s going to be my Friday meal to end the week!

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Yeah, same. I can only recall specific names of potatoes when I’ve been at a farmer’s market or a farm store.

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You need to get to the greenmarket! There’s a vendor at Union Square with a good 20 varieties.

https://www.instagram.com/unsqgreenmarket/p/DGrBfiVSD8S/?api=chạy%2Bquảng%2Bcáo%2Bkiếm%2Btiền%2Bonline【66.cyou】.zcqh&hl=zh-cn&img_index=2

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I’ve seen purple potatoes at Boston area farmers markets. Also blue…

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A bit of a haul from where I live, but I try to eat my weight in the varieties available during my summers in Berlin :slight_smile:

Yeah, it’s probably not as convenient for you as it is for me. There are no farm markets near you?

Now that you mention it, I have seen those as well, of course. Not a fan of purple potatoes.

In Germany, there is a cornucopia of potato varieties, as mentioned further upthread. A lot of them have female names, like Sieglinde, Belena, Nicola, the aforementioned Linda :wink:, Agria, Melina, etc. etc.

One of the greatest joys of mine is steamed new potatoes (a waxy variety like Christa, or Bamberger Hörnchen) with good butter, s&p.

That’s really all that is needed with a flavorful potato.

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There are. I’ve not seen the variety I see at any random German FM, nor what Union Square has to offer. Mayhaps I need to bring back home some taters from the next big city trip :smiley:

I bet there’s mail order, also.

It’s alright. I’ll take a closer look at the various FM stands when I get back.

I only recall seeing Kennebecs at the FMs here in Philadelphia. I will keep my eye out for other named varieties or maybe even ask the farmers since names arent big here.

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Our Mildly Insane Kimchi Bokkeumbap from Koreatown - kimchi fried rice with lots of bacon, onion, garlic, ginger, kimchi, rice, scallions, gochujang butter and topped with fried egg

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A much needed salad for dinner.
Canned Callipo tuna in olive oil with a shot of hot sauce, marinated tomatoes/cucumbers and red onions, blanched asparagus and feta. Dressing was a homemade lemon vinaigrette.

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