Red Potato

Red potatoes are a perfect choice for soups and potato salads because of their firmness and texture. Their natural pigmentation makes red potatoes a favorite among chefs wanting to add pizzazz to their dishes.

Scientific Binomial Name: Solanum tuberosum

Selection Information

Usage: Baked, roasted & fried, potato salad, and added to soups.

Selection: Good-quality Red Potatoes will be firm, smooth-skinned and have bright-red coloring. They should have few eyes, and those few eyes should be shallow.

Storage: Do not wash raw red potatoes before storing - washing them speeds development of decay.

Store red potatoes in a cool (40 - 50° F), dry, well ventilated, dark place to protect them from light exposure and to inhibit quick sprouts from growing. If your potatoes do begin to sprout or grow, cut off the sprouts. If you don't have good storage available, buy in smaller quantities and more often.

Do not refrigerate or freeze uncooked potatoes as this changes the potatoes' starch into sugar. This alters the taste of potatoes and causes the flesh to darken when cooked.

Avoid: Avoid product that is soft, wrinkled, has cuts in the skin or is green-tinted.

Seasonal Information

Red Potatoes are available year-round. Washington potatoes are available from August through January.

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 medium potato, raw (213g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 149 Calories from Fat 2

% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0 0% 

Saturated Fat 0g 0% 

Trans Fat

Cholesterol 0mg 0% 

Sodium 13mg 1% 

Total Carbohydrate 34g 11% 

Dietary Fiber 4g 14% 

Sugars 2g  

Protein 4g  

 
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 31%

Calcium 2% Iron 9%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Source: PMA's Labeling Facts

Red Potatoes are Fat-free, Very low sodium, Source of fiber, High in vitamin C, Cholesterol-free.

How to Pick and Flavor Red Potatoes

Tips & Trivia

  • Do not store potatoes in the refrigerator. Refrigeration converts the starch in potatoes to sugar which will cause the potato to darken when cooked.
  • Prolonged exposure to light causes greening and makes the potato taste bitter. Peel or pare green area from the potato before using.
  • The world's most important vegetable, the potato was first cultivated in the Andean region of South America by native Indian populations. Spanish explorers took the tuber back to Spain in the middle of the 16th Century, and from there it spread to the rest of Europe. The potato was promoted in Prussia by Fredrick the Great, frowned upon in Scotland (Presbyterians were concerned because the Bible failed to mention potatoes as a crop), and quickly adopted by the Irish as their primary food crop. How potatoes came to North America is the subject of several conflicting legends. One creditable source reports that some of the first plantings were those started in New Hampshire, from stock brought from Ireland.
  • The present name came about as an accident, having derived from the Spanish "patata," meaning sweet potato.
  • A "new" potato is one that hasn't reached its full size.