Irish people love floury potatoes. But once we leave our native shores, most people have no idea what on earth we are talking about when we ask for floury potatoes.
And so, today I plan to answer the all important question….
What is a floury potato?
Floury potatoes have a fluffy, dry texture that makes them great for boiling, mashed potatoes and for chips (french fries).
Boiled in their skins, floury potatoes burst open and their mealy flesh spills out as they cook.
The four floury spuds in the photo above look ever so inviting on that gorgeous flowery plate.
Boiled potatoes are served as a side for many Irish dinners. Cooked with their jackets or skins on, we Irish love to see a bowl of steaming potatoes heaped high in the middle of the dinner table.
Side plates are usually included in place settings when potatoes in their jackets are served. There’s a skill to skinning a spud.
You first stab it with a fork, but not too deeply or you’ll rupture it. Next, lift it above your side plate, then start to peel with a knife. Bursting, floury potatoes are so easy to start the peeling process, since they already split their skins. But please be gentle as you peel. It’s very easy to crumble a dry, floury spud.
Now let me clarify potato jackets with a little side note. A potato in its jacket means it’s boiled with the skin on, but if you’re offered a jacket potato, then that refers to a baked potato served in its skin. Just a little nuance of speech when conversing in Irish potatoeeze, or that may even be Cork potatoeeze.
Big Balls of Flour:
This potato seller is very proud of his spuds. These are what we lovingly call “big balls of flour” in Ireland. To prove his claim of floury potatoes, this vendor boils a couple of pots of spuds each morning, then puts them on display for potato shoppers to see.
Talk about bursting out of their skins.
Now my guess would be that the spuds on display above, are probably Queens. But if any reader can tell for sure, please let us know in the comment section.
I sometimes wonder what tourists to Ireland make of signs like the one above. Perhaps some wonder if we sell baking flour in special ball shaped containers.
Irish Potato Varieties:
In Ireland we have many varieties of potatoes that have never been heard of in America – Golden Wonders, Kerr’s Pinks, Maris Pipers, Roosters, and Queens to name but a few.
When I first came to America I found the potatoes to be too waxy. It’s hard to find a good, floury potato like you get in Ireland.
After much trial and error I found russet or Idaho potatoes are the mealiest or flouriest. Yukon Golds are waxy or soapy, as we might describe them in Ireland.
But trust me, I was sorely disappointed by the limited variety of spuds in America. Here’s a little sampling of what’s on offer in Ireland.
Roosters:
Roosters are a favorite potato in Ireland, but a relatively new variety. I don’t remember too many roosters in my Irish childhood, but nowadays Irish grocery stores stock plenty of roosters.
They’re oval in shape with red skin, and their flesh is yellow and floury. Irish cooks like this all round variety, especially since they don’t discolor easily during cooking.
These Irish spuds are suitable for boiling, baking, roasting and chipping (making french fries).
Kerrs Pink:
As their name implies these irregular round shaped spuds have a distinctive pink skin.
They also have deep eyes, which are the little black spots found on a potato’s skin. Their flesh is white and floury. They are good for making mash and chips, but I don’t like them for roasting or baking.
Queens:
Queens are oval shaped spuds, with a light yellow or brown skin. Their eyes are shallow, and display a slight pink tinge at the edges.
Their flesh is white and floury, and their skins burst open when boiled. I love to boil Queens in their jackets – the best way to cook them by far.
Records:
Records are oval rather than round in shape. They need to be handled with care because they can bruise easily.
Their skin is yellow-brown in color, and much darker than the skin of Queens. Once again they have a dry, floury flesh.
I find they are best when boiled and sometimes I use them to make chips.
Maris Piper:
Maris Piper potatoes have a distinctive oval shape with pale yellow skin. You’ll find a few eyes on the surface, but they’re very shallow.
They have a creamy colored flesh, and are waxier or soapier than the other varieties. They’re my favorite potato for roasting. Their skins don’t tend to burst open as much as other varieties when boiled.
Golden Wonder:
Golden wonders have a thick, russet colored skin and a distinctive pear shape.
A late season potato, Golden Wonders are available from October through spring. Their flesh is yellow, very dry and floury. They are best when boiled and make lovely flavorful mash.
And there you have it – my little round up of Irish potatoes, with particular emphasis on the floury variety. A good spud makes a dinner! Well, that’s what we believe in Ireland anyway.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Irish American Mom
Love all of your posts! I’m part Irish (born in America though). My grandfather’s name was Hogan. I have the Stephen Walsh/Darina Allen video and she made floury potatoes. Mine look like this when I boil russets to make potato salad. Question: Do people in Ireland use butter on their potatoes when they cook floury potatoes, or just eat them plain? (I MUST have butter! Guess that shows I’m American! LOL! Sláinte! –Gloria
Hi Gloria – Irish people love butter on their potatoes, especially when they are cooked in their jackets and peeled just before eating. We slice the potato into wedges and let butter melt all over them. So loving butter on your potatoes shows you are Irish and American.
Thanks so much for checking out my ramblings, and have a lovely weekend.
Mairéad
Mairead,
You have made me start a search for potatoes. Yes, you are correct; these potatoes are not found here.
If you have a source, I’d be thrilled to try some locally here in Ohio.
We all know that potatoes are easy to find on Irish tables; but my favorite meal story is from a dinner we had in Cork.
• I ordered “vegetable soup” as a starter. The vegetables turned out to be potatoes and onions. A surprise; but very good.
• For a main dish, I chose the roasted chicken. It was served on a bed of mashed potatoes, beans, and a baked potato.
• As always, there was a large bowl of boiled potatoes and carrots.
• Before all were served, they brought two large bowls of fries.
By my count, I had a total of five servings of potatoes that night. They were all good and so different.
Is there a name for baking a peeled potato? I believe it was peeled, buttered, and baked.
Gene
Hi Gene – I wish I could source Irish potatoes in America. I’m afraid I’ve learned to make do with Idahos and Yukon Golds. No Queens in America. I enjoyed your potatoes-five-ways story. We do love our spuds in Ireland. When I returned the first time from America to Ireland I decided to make lasagne for dinner one night, to introduce my folks to the new dishes I was eating in New York. Of course, my father asked for a spud with his serving. No point trying to explain the pasta was his starch that evening. A dinner is not a dinner in Ireland, without spuds. Luckily, my mom had boiled a few just in case Dad asked for a few. And so he ate his lasagne with a side of spuds.
A baked, peeled potato is called a roast or roasted potato. Here’s a link for how I make mine:
https://www.irishamericanmom.com/2012/11/15/how-to-roast-potatoes-irish-or-english-style/
All the best, and thanks for stopping by.
Mairéad
I did plant some Yukon Golds this year. Roasties next month. Thanks. —Gene
Hi Gene – I hope you’ll have a great crop of Yukon Golds and enjoy those roasties.
All the best,
Mairéad
Years ago, when I was a student, I stayed with an Irish family in Dublin for three weeks. The very first night I got there, they had roast chicken, peas and boiled potatoes in their jackets. I admit I was a bit intimidated by the thought of stabbing my potatoe and peeling it in front of a bunch of people I had just met. When I did not have a potato, the mom asked me “do you not like potatoes?” I said I do, but I didn’t want any. “But do you not like them?” When I said again that I did, she said “ah, you’re a funny girl, Patricia!”
After hearing her say that many times in the next few weeks, I finally asked her if that was a good thing or bad thing. She said it was good. ?
And that Mairead, was my Irish potato experience.
Well, that and the time we went for pizza on O’Connell Street and there was one boiled potato half on the middle of the pizza. We (a bunch of American college kids) all thought it was hysterical. And never could figure out if that was put there especially for us as a joke or not.
Hi Patricia or should I say “funny girl” – thanks for sharing another wonderful story of your times in Ireland. I can only imagine how daunting a mountain of piping hot spuds can be to someone who has never before had to peel one table side. It is a skillful act, but well worth the trouble. I hope you were peeling spuds like a pro by the end of your trip to Dublin.
I remember having my first ever slice of pizza in Pizzaland on O’Connell Street. We weren’t served half a potato on top, so I think you may be right about the staff playing a prank on you.
Thanks as always for stopping by, and adding to our discussions of all things Irish.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Oh my gosh, now that you mention it, it WAS Pizzaland!
Pizzaland brings back great memories. My aunt was visiting Dublin from America many years ago. She was watching my sisters and me for the weekend. I think my parents were away at a wedding. When she heard we had never had pizza she took us into town by bus, and treated us to pizza in Pizzaland. It tasted like a slice of heaven to our Irish potato trained taste buds.
Thanks for stirring my first pizza memories at Pizzaland.
All the best,
Mairéad
Floury Spuds.
When the first “chipper” opened in Listowel. A fellow came out of the cinema, went in and bought a bag of chips. On tasting the first one he said to his companion, “I don’t care what anyone says, there’s spuds in them.”
Oh Mattie – I love all your little stories of Ireland. And I dare bet the new Listowel chipper used good, floury spuds for his chips, especially if he received such high praise from a local.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Hi Mairead, nice article, I revisited old potato posts and thought I’ld send you a little rhyme about Lumbers past and present..
Lumper’s Fields
Low lie the fields of lumpers blight, where once futures seemed so bright,
Now dashed in tubers black and mush, silent figures voices hushed,
Whose days are numbered back in these fields, these row by row refuse to yield,
Nary a spud thats white or firm all is bleak all forlorn,
And yet life goes on and struggles well, through the famine a living hell,
To emerge triumphant as years go by, farmers again their trade they ply,
Till crops are grown in numbers bumper and all is safe even the lumper.
Cheers,
Brian.
Love this, Brian. The lumper potato has made a comeback in Ireland. I believe it is being grown once again. Another topic for a spud post.
All the best,
Mairéad
hahaha, Mairead*…Irish or Cork “potatoeeze!”
My sister-in-law (I am from an Irish American Family as is my husband) once said to me (as she is married to a man of Puerto Rican descent) that his Family is all about rice like we are about potatoes…now that’s upstate New York potatoeeze!
Anyway…my Dad (from Cobh) did much cooking in my home, as he and my Mom both worked and he went to work earlier and got home earlier (in Brooklyn, NY) First think he would do is say he had to go peel the spuds! …one of my many lovely, homey memories of him…
In my Family, I have to say I have grown to absolutely love what we call red potatoes, and, salt potatoes.
I think the red potatoes may be similar to one you mentioned, but the salt potatoes are small and always include a packet of salt to put in the boiling water for the potatoes (this particular type is a central New York style). I only mention them because we potato lovers (hats off to your Dad!) could die for a warm salt potato with a pad of butter…mmm…I might also mention here that simple mashed potatoes are craved(always) by my husband and children, and my daughter makes a big hit by just serving mashed potatoes with chicken gravy to her growing Family of our 6 (yes, six) grandsons!
My daughter also loves the Yukon golds for roasted wedges she makes.
Just love this spud talk!
Thank you, Mairead*, and God bless you!
Hi Irishannie – Memories of Dads peeling the spuds – such an Irish thing, and a precious part of our childhood days. I think what you refer to as salt potatoes may be salad potatoes in Ireland – my granny used to call them small gobs of spuds.
Glad you like this spud talk. I’ve plenty more planned along with some more potato recipes like champ, bubble and squeak and some fried potatoes.
All the best,
Mairéad
Dear Mairéad,
I’m an Irish Fin, born and bred in London UK, married to an American wife who has been with me ‘over there’ for 26 years. We have just moved to the USA to spend more the with her parents, who are no longer in the first flush of youth. So, being the primary cook between us I am enjoying getting accustomed to American produce and ingredients. You have no idea how informative I have found the above article. I’ve been a huge potato fan all my life and to me the floury varieties are an essential, everyday staple. So needless to say…
It has come as a shock to discover the land from which the potato was introduced to Europe doesn’t have the range of varieties to which folk like us are accustomed. Or even seem to know about what they have been missing. How on earth is it that nobody here grows Maris Pipers? I know they are a relatively new variety in the great scheme of things. But surely since they were invented the whole world must have realised they are an essential component of civilisation? Apparently not. Someone in the American agriculture industry has an opportunity there, I would imagine. Especially as Americans generally are becoming so much more interested in good food, enjoying proper cooking and sourcing the best ingredients they can get their hands on. Anyway, I can’t quiet get those Idaho offerings to roast as I would like but hopefully I can get my hands on some decent Russets and all will be well. You are not the first person to have mentioned that variety to me this week.
For now I must get back to my peeler. Best wished from a soggy migrant on a soft day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Francis Power
Hi Francis – The lack of good “floury” potatoes in America is astonishing. This year we actually grew our own Maris Pipers in Kentucky. An Irish couple we know found the seed potatoes and shared some with us. We savored them – such a versatile and flavorful variety.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Thank you.
You’re welcome.
IAM
Queens are the tastiest variety in the world by far but unfortunately only come out for three months in the year. The next best for boiling are Records as they have a similar taste and floury texture.
Hi Christopher – Queens are delicious. I’m seldom in Ireland when they are in season, and there are no Queens to be had in Kentucky. Records too are only available in Ireland, and definitely are a good floury potato.
All the best,
Mairéad
It’s strange how you almost speak like potatoes were native to Ireland or the u.k. They are not. They are a new world crop like corn, tomatos chocolate, etc. The Irish didn’t improve potatoes and different cultures prefer different qualities in their agriculture.
Hi An – Thanks for pointing out that the potato is not native to Ireland. It was introduced to Ireland in the 15th century and about 150 years later the vast majority of the Irish population were dependent on the potato as their sole means of nourishment. When the crop failed between 1845 and 1850 over one million Irish died and another 2 million emigrated. The potato has a unique place in Irish history and it a holds a special place for Irish people to this very day. I agree with you that other cultures may prefer different potato varieties to Irish people, but I wrote this piece primarily for Irish people and Irish Americans who may also have been raised to enjoy a more fleshy potato than those typically found in America. Thanks so much for adding to this little discussion.
All the best,
Mairéad
Hello,
Am interested in trying to grow a few of the older Irish potato varieties, specifically the Kerr’s Pinks and the Golden Wonder. Have had no luck finding American sources for seed potatoes of these varieties, however. Any ideas? And if not, are there currently available American varieties that would even come close to the qualities of those Irish varieties, in your opinion? Appreciate any assistance you might provide, thanks! Enjoy your site!
Hi Jake – I’m afraid I do not know where you can find seeds for these old Irish potato varieties in America. I would love to be able to source them also. If you have any success in your search, please do let us know. I’m sure many of my readers would love to find these potato varieties also.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Hello,
I’m not sure these would be just the same, but there are Albert Bartlett rooster potatoes available in stores around the US.
https://albertbartlett.com/store-locator-2/
I hope this helps with your “balls of flour” cravings!
~Erin
Hi Erin – Thanks so much for this recommendation. That’s great to know and may also help other readers who love those floury potatoes. Thanks so much for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad