Purple potatoes really are a MORE NUTRITIOUS POTATO packed with antioxidants!
Learn all about these brightly colored purple-licious spuds and enjoy tons of images celebrating their beauty!
What are Purple Potatoes & Where are They From?
Purple potatoes is a general all-encompassing name that refers to all potato varieties that are… purple!!! This includes conventional, hybrid and heirloom varieties. Their purple color ranges from deep, saturated, solid purple to a blue-purple, a violet-purple and a more marbled white-purple appearance.
Like other members of the potato family (Solanum tuberosum), purple potatoes come from a tuber plant native to the Andes mountain region in South America.They are native to Peru and Bolivia; spread to Europe in the 16thcentury via Spanish sailors and were introduced in the US in the mid 1980’s.
Today, purple potatoes are commercially cultivated in South America, North America, and Europe.
Purple potatoes are sometimes referred to asblue potatoes.
What do Purple Potatoes Taste Like
Purple potatoes taste similar to a regular russet potato. Their texture is less starchy and moister, and their flavor is slightly nuttier and earthier.
Why are Purple Potatoes more Nutritious than other Potatoes?
The natural plant pigment that gives potatoes their purple color,anthocyanin, also acts as an antioxidant!
It is precisely this high antioxidant content that’s thesignificant health difference between purple and other potatoes:purple potatoes contain about 4 times as many antioxidants as Russet potatoes!And there’s a slew of health benefits that result from theseantioxidants.
Potatoes often get a bad rap because of their high starch content, but they contain loads of important nutrients and allpotatoes are naturally high in potassium.Theextra antioxidants make the potassium even more useful and effective than in other potato varieties. Purple potatoes are similar to the Russet potato in calories, protein, and carbs.
Eating purple potatoes can be a very healthy addition to your diet and is a wonderful way to boost your antioxidant intake and reduce inflammation!
Purple Potato Season & Availability
They may have been rare in the past, but these day you can find purple potatoes at most major supermarkets and of course, my preferred place to shop for produce, the farmers markets!
Purple Potatoes are available year-round, with peak season in the fall.
Purple Potato Varieties
There’s dozen varieties of purple potatoes
Thereare over 3,500varietiesof potatoes (whoa #diversity!!!) and dozens of varieties of purple potatoes. Although you won’t find most of theseoutside of Peru and Bolivia there’s still quite a range of variety that you can indeed find!
Purple potatoes come on all sorts of shapes and sizes.
The most common varieties include:
- All Blue
- Purple Peruvian
- Magic Molly
- Purple Majesty
- Adirondack Blue
- Purple Fiesta
- Vitelotte
- Purple Pelisse
- Brigus
- Michigan Purple
- Purple Eyes
- Purple Viking
- Congo
All Blue is the most commonly marketed purple potato and the one you’ll most likely find at the supermarket.Vines of this purple potato produce large, oblong potatoes with purple skin and flesh, with a light-colored layer just inside the skin. They are dry and mealy when baked and best for mashing and other cooked potato dishes.
How to Cook Purple Potatoes
Cook purple potatoes in all the same ways you’d cook non-purple potatoes!
Justlikeotherpotatoes, the skins are completely edible and filled with nutrients.
Best methods for cooking purple potatoes include boil, bake, braise, mash, grill, roast, fry and smash.
They are versatile; generally, have a medium starch content and hold their shape quite well.
If you make a purple potato creationI’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with #chefdanielagerson.
If a recipe calls for potatoes, purple potatoes can DEFINITELY be used!
Purple Potato Photo Gallery
And one of these days I'll tackle a Purple Hasselback Gratin!
Hope this post inspired ya to add these vibrantly colored purple-licious beauties to your plate! You can also follow meon Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious, (especially purple-licious!) food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
And if you're as stoked in purple produce as I am, you'll love this purple Brussels sprouts post!
Let's make waves in the kitchen!
