Potato..Potato...Potato..How lovely you are!

You can always count on potatoes, whether you want them fried, boiled, baked, or prepared in any other way. You can make just about anything you can imagine with this cuisine.

Simply said, potatoes are the revolutionary tuber. Many scholars believe that the humble potato, which was originally domesticated by Indigenous peoples of the Andean highlands and brought back across the Atlantic by Spanish colonizers in the 16th century, was a key factor in the development of modern agriculture in Europe. It has risen to become the world's fifth most important food crop. 

Potatoes, or Solanum tuberosum, are a type of tuber that is classified as "starchy vegetables." They occur in a wide range of sizes, hues, forms, and textures, and are often cultivated during the cooler months of the year.

Based on their appearance, there are seven distinct potato varieties. There are literally thousands of subtypes of potato within each of these categories. Here are a few examples:

Russet Potatoes - Russets are large potatoes with rough brown skin and pale flesh.

Yellow Potatoes - Yellow potatoes have thin gold skin and yellow flesh.

White Potatoes - White potatoes have thin beige or tan skin with pale flesh.

Red Potatoes - Red potatoes have thin red skin and pale flesh.

Purple or Blue Potatoes - Blue potatoes have dark purple or blue skin with matching purple flesh.

Fingerling Potatoes - Fingerling potatoes have a small, tubular shape and have a variety of skin and flesh characteristics.

New Potatoes - New potatoes are young potatoes that have been harvested early. They have thin, delicate skin and creamy flesh. Also called baby potatoes, they come in a variety of colors.

Other than the varieties of potatoes, this food is also categorized by its texture:

Starchy Potatoes

The flesh of starchy potatoes is dry and mealy because of their high carbohydrate content. The core of the potato is dry, so it crumbles and breaks down readily when cooked or mashed, making it great for baking or mashing. When you add dairy or butter to a dry potato, it will absorb it fast and uniformly, just like a sponge. Starchy potatoes are ideal for making french fries because of their crispiness and durability. The outside takes on the flavor of the oil and crisps up, while the interior stays light and airy.

Waxy Potatoes

Waxy potatoes have a low starch content and a rich, juicy interior. These potatoes typically don't require peeling because their skins are so thin. Waxy potatoes, in contrast to starchy potatoes, retain their form after cooking. This makes them great for baking in casseroles, boiling for potato salads, and simmering in soups and stews.

All-Purpose Potatoes

The versatility of all-purpose potatoes is unparalleled. Because of the starch content, which is around average, they rise nicely when mashed or baked. They retain their form when cooked in a variety of methods, including boiling, roasting, and frying, because to their medium water content. When it comes to cooking, you have the most flexibility with an all-purpose potato.

Considering all the various potato kinds. It stands to reason that there would be a wide variety of ways to prepare this cuisine. The following are some dishes that you and your loved ones can attempt.

Patatas Bravas

The renowned Spanish tapas dish patatas bravas combines spicy, creamy, crunchy, and smokey flavors. You can compare these to French fries. Because of their higher starch content, Idaho and Russet potatoes are excellent frying potatoes.

Get the recipe: Best Patatas Bravas Recipe - How To Make Patatas Bravas (delish.com)

Mashed Potatoes

What could possibly be better than a steaming bowl of perfectly mashed potatoes dripping with butter? See? Don't even think about it! Put down the instant potatoes and bring out a big pot and a masher because we're about to make some homey, comforting mashed potatoes.

Get the recipe: Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe - How to Make Mashed Potatoes (delish.com)

French Onion Baked Potatoes

These spuds are deadly. Big russets are the way to go if you want to feed them. Select a fingerling or Yukon Gold potato, both of which are on the smaller side, if you plan to use them as an appetizer.

Get the recipe: French Onion Baked Potatoes - How to Make French Onion Baked Potatoes (delish.com)

Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken & Potato Soup

The ideal weekday supper is a slow-cooked bowl of delicious warm and creamy soup, and it requires next to no effort on our part. Get everything ready in the morning and enjoy this crowd-pleasing soup when you get home in the evening. The use of any additional dirty pans is unnecessary.

Get the recipe: Easy Slow-Cooker Creamy Chicken & Potato Soup - How to Make Slow-Cooker Chicken & Potato Soup (delish.com)

Boxty

Stuck between a plate of mashed potatoes and a crispy latke. Do some boxty. These Irish potato pancakes are the best of both worlds: crisp on the outside and light and airy in the middle.

Get the recipe: Best Boxty Recipe - How to Make Homemade Irish Boxty (delish.com)

Potato Croquettes

One of the most well-liked tapas (or small appetizers) in all of Spain is the potato croquette, and with good reason. They are a great way to repurpose leftover mashed potatoes and make a tasty appetizer when you're looking for something other than potato chips to satisfy your craving for something salty and crunchy.

Get the recipe: Best Potato Croquettes Recipe - How To Make Potato Croquettes (delish.com)

Potato Candy

We're all aware of the potato's many uses, but have you ever tried turning it into candy? Although the combination of mashed potatoes and peanut butter in this classic candy recipe may seem strange at first glance, we assure you that it is well worth your time.

Get the recipe: Best Potato Candy Recipe - How To Make Homemade Potato Candy (delish.com)

Potato Bread

Soft, bouncy, and with a hint of sweetness from the potatoes, this bread is the realization of your fantasies about peanut butter and jelly.

Get the recipe: https://www.delish.com/cooking/a37993907/potato-bread-recipe/ 

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Sources:

1. What Is A Potato, Anyway? | Bon Appétit (bonappetit.com)
2. Types of Potatoes: Varieties, Uses, Cooking Suggestions, & More (webstaurantstore.com)
3. 80 Best Potato Recipes - Easy Ideas to Cook Potatoes (delish.com)