Maris Piper Potatoes

[chef koo]

A friend of mine from the UK was telling me that the potatoes they use for their fries (or chips) is called maris piper. Is that species indigenous to the UK or is there a North American equivalent?

[dougal]

Can't help directly with equivalents, but Maris Piper is the most common UK-grown potato variety. (Its in no way exotic!) It is probably the variety that is used for most of the supermarket frozen oven-ready "chips" (fries).

Its a good all-rounder. Fairly floury, but a little firmer than varieties like King Edward that are chosen for baking to a soft, falling-apart (almost self-ricing) interior.

Something else to consider is that British "chips" tend to be bigger (in cross-section) than US fries. (Think of almost half an inch by half an inch, instead of less than a quarter of an inch square.) This means that the 'crumb' of the chip becomes important - its not all about the crust. That has knock-on effects for variety choice and cooking detail. Its partly because Blumenthal goes so thick that he par-boils before two fryings -- in order to be sure of cooking the centre to softness.

[jk1002]

The Maris Piper has less sugar then the Russet that we commonly use in the US for fries. That might be relevant for thicker fries as they don't brown that quick when you do the classic double fry.

I know about Heston cooking in water first, but I am not sure how common that is. I'd think if you want thick fries the Russet would be very similar if you boil in water as well.

I know I saw an article with Heston explaining why the sugar and starch level is so relevant, he used some tool on his potatoes to measure that, just can't seem to find it.

Edited December 17, 2009 by jk1002 (log)

[chef koo]

The Maris Piper has less sugar then the Russet that we commonly use in the US for fries. That might be relevant for thicker fries as they don't brown that quick when you do the classic double fry.

I know about Heston cooking in water first, but I am not sure how common that is. I'd think if you want thick fries the Russet would be very similar if you boil in water as well.

I know I saw an article with Heston explaining why the sugar and starch level is so relevant, he used some tool on his potatoes to measure that, just can't seem to find it.

how does it compare to kennebec potatoes? fairly similar? if not what's the most similar that we can get?

[Blether]

Some time ago I bookmarked this page, which I think has good world coverage. I recognise some, but don't know all the varieties available in the US. Three quarters of the way down the page is the list that starts like this:

Some popular varieties of the potato include the following:

Adretta, Likaria, Liu, and Arkula are varieties characterized by a really good flavour.

Aula is a mid-to-late fall variety with bright yellow floury flesh that tastes mild to strong.

Avalanche is a maincrop, round to oval, having white tubers and flesh. It is excellent for baking.

Belle de Fontenay is a very old and rare French early variety, excellent for salads. The yellow tubers are small and kidney-shaped with a waxy texture, but a good flavour.

Capiro is characterized by its particularly juicy, waxy flesh and dark reddish skin.

Cara is a large maincrop and a good all-round potato.

Carlingford is available as a new and maincrop, having firm white flesh which tends to be mealy on the outside.

Christa is the first early yellow-fleshed variety. Predominantly waxy, it is distinguished by an especially hearty taste and an attractive tuber shape.

Chugaua is a relatively small, dark red potato from Colombia and named after its place of origin.

Concorde is a very early, heavy-yielding variety having oval tubers that are large with a pale yellow flesh and waxy texture and excellent flavour.

Criolla is cultivated at an altitude of 6,500 feet and is always roasted or boiled in its skin.

Desirée is a popular, midseason maincrop with pink skin and pale yellow flesh. It is predominantly a waxy Dutch variety with rounded oval tubers. It is good for fries, mashing, baking, or roasting...

- and includes Kennebec and Maris Piper (by the look of it, you may be on to something, chef koo).

I liked the Guardian's article - I really thought it was worthwhile, but I'll note in passing that it's a one-time comparison that doesn't note the sources or freshness of the particular potatoes (different varieties) compared. Did the Guardian take care to normalise these factors, or should we suspect that the Maris Pipers may have came out winners because they were a particularly good/fresh batch of Maris Pipers, and the King Edwards not ? It's true too, that even in this trial, in places the two tasters had different opinions on which variety was better. For the moment, I'd take the idea that Maris Piper is the undisputed king of the roasties with a pinch of salt (sorry), and as ever, always account for personal taste.

This page is shorter and UK-specific.

I write this with jealously gritted teeth. Here in Japan, mostly you can buy potatoes, new potatoes, danshaku potatoes (old floury ones, not a specified varietal), or Hokkaido potatoes (you know where they come from).

[jk1002]

http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/2009/02/16/326130/john-campbell-chips-masterclass.html

I struggled with Russets doing a proper fry. This article gives a few clues. I had actually success with the method mentioned on the cookingissues blog.

Personally I believe, while the potato is important, technique has the final say. Not storing the cut chips in water long time, cooking them in boiling salt water for taste and drying them properly after the blanching turned my crappy fry into something great.