Red Pontiac potato

The Red Pontiac, also known as Dakota Chief, is a red-skinned early main crop potato variety originally bred in the U.S., and is sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, Algeria, the Philippines, Venezuela and Uruguay. It arose as a color mutant of the original Pontiac variety in Florida,[1] by a J.W. Weston in 1945.[2] It was registered by the USDA in 1983.[2] The original Pontiac itself was a hybrid of varieties "Triumph" and "Katahdin" and released in the USA in 1938 and Australia in 1940.[3]

The plants are large and spreading with angled stems and large light purple flowers. The potatoes are deep-eyed and round with dark red skin and white waxy flesh,[4] though can be knobbly if soil moisture is uneven.[2] The skin colour can fade significantly, leaving only the eyes as red.[3]

Cooking

It can be used in recipes for baking, boiling, mashing, roasting or in salads, and can be cooked in a microwave oven.[4] It is not so suitable for frying.[3] Red potatoes may be cooked with the skin on, and should be scrubbed and rinsed before preparation.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Canadian Food Inspection Agency. "Red Pontiac". Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Potato Association of America (2007). "Red Pontiac". The Potato Association of America website. University of Maine. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wilson, Graeme (1999). "Potato varieties". Department of Primary Industries website. Department of Primary Industries – Victoria. Archived from the original on 2007-09-15. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Barker, p. 61
  5. ↑ Red Potato Chefs. "Red Potato Recipes". Red Potato Recipe Book. Red Potato Org. Retrieved 2011-06-15.

Further reading