Russet Burbank potato

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The Russet Burbank potato is a large brown-skinned, white-fleshed variety of potato. It is commonly used in french fries in fast food restaurants. When used for making potato chips, it results in a dark-colored chip due to caramelization, its sugar content being higher than that of the Maris Piper potato, more commonly used by chip makers.

Luther Burbank developed the Burbank potato in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, USA, in the early 1870s. In 1875, Burbank sold his farm and the rights to his potato, and moved to Santa Rosa, California. Later, a natural sport of Burbank potato with russetted skin was selected and named Russet Burbank potato.

The name Burbank Russet potato is often used and is not considered an error, though technically it implies the potato was russet before Burbank worked on it.

The Russet Burbank is the most common potato variety grown in Idaho, the second leading potato growing region of the United States behind Washington State. [1]