Potatoes have been a staple at dinner tables for centuries. As a crop, it grows quickly and in abundance, resulting in an inexpensive product that most families can easily afford. There are numerous types of potatoes, each with its own distinct flavors and textures. We took a deep dive into scores of cooking websites to find the best ways to cook one particular type of spud, the red potato.
Red potatoes can be prepared in a variety of ways. The most common ways you cook red potatoes are to bake, fry, sautee, or boil them. For every method of cooking the red potato, there are hundreds of different recipes you can enjoy.
Now that we know that there are multiple ways you can cook red potatoes, we'll look at some tasty recipes that follow each one. You might also have other questions about this type of potato. Are red potatoes full of good carbs or bad carbs? What do red potatoes taste like by themselves? To see what we've discovered, please read ahead in this post.
Delicious Red Potato Recipes
Baked red potatoes
When you think of baking potatoes, you might be imagining a potato almost as large as your plate itself, stuffed with sour cream, butter, chives, and pieces of bacon. Clearly, red potatoes are not the variety for the above description, as they are much smaller than traditional baking potatoes and not used in this fashion. That aside, there are some very tasty recipes that you can enjoy involving baking red potatoes.
- You can see this recipe for making some of the best Roasted Red Potatoes on A Mindful Mom's website.
- All Recipes has a delicious way to make Oven Baked Parsley Red Potatoes with a flavorful dash of fresh onion.
Fried red potatoes
Whether you are using a deep fryer or cooking potatoes on your stovetop in a pan, fried potatoes have been a great side dish or snack for years. Red potatoes lend well to being sliced up and fried, and it's not surprising that we were able to turn up some great ways to cook them in this fashion.
- Food.com shows you how to create rich and buttery, Fried Red Potatoes For One.
- All Recipes delivers a tasty twist on this classic Home Fried Potatoes side dish.
- From Paula Deen comes a great new way to make Skillet Fried Potato Salad; loaded with lots of bacon and butter, this side dish will be a sure pleaser at dinner time.
- Just a Pinch delivers a super rich, Loaded Fried Potatoes recipe that's a perfect sharable snack food for parties and holidays.
Sauteed red potato
Adding butter to anything seems to make it better, and red potatoes are no exception. Our internet research has turned up some of the best recipes for sauteed potatoes out there.
- Another gem from Food.com, this perfect combination of red potatoes and green beans will be a sure hit at dinner this evening. Try Red Potato & Green Bean Saute.
- Food.com shows the perfect way to combine two favorites with Potatoes Sauteed with Shrimp.
Mashed red potato
There's nothing better than a great mashed potato recipe to pair with a good piece of beef or chicken. The flavorful red potatoes make for some amazing mashed potatoes, and we're happy to share some of the best red mashed potato recipes here.
- All Recipes shows how to add garlic to your mashed red potatoes in Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes; what might become your favorite way to make this popular side dish yet.
- From A Taste of Southern comes a delicious Red Skin Mashed Potatoes recipe with buttermilk.
What Do Red Potatoes Taste Like?
This type of potato will have a buttery and earthy flavor when cooked, making certain herbs, like rosemary, a great match for them. Red potatoes have a dense and waxy mouthfeel, making them a good choice for mashed potatoes.
Are Red Potatoes Better For You Than Other Potatoes?
Let's look at all of the wonderful health benefits of the red potato! First, the average-sized red potato only has 110 calories. This is much lower than the russet potato, which has 165 calories. Red potatoes also hold fewer calories than a sweet potato. A sweet potato contains 125 calories.
While all potatoes are higher in carbs, each type has a different starch amount with a rating above 70 on the glycemic index. The less starch content in a potato, the healthier it is. By and large, the red potato has substantially fewer starches than russet and white potatoes, making them a bit more healthy.
Red potatoes are full of vitamin C, boating 45 percent of the daily recommended allowance for this essential vitamin in one potato! And, while all potatoes are rich in anti-oxidants, red potatoes, in particular, boast extremely high levels --five times more than russets.
It's important to keep in mind that how you prepare any potato will impact its nutrients. Baking is generally the best way, but consider what you are adding to your potatoes, also. If you bake a potato and then add lots of butter and sour cream, you'll be taking healthy food and making it into a high-calorie side dish. And if you are deep frying red potatoes, the oils will definitely make your tuber a much less healthy snack. Likewise, with a sautee recipe because the butter will add a lot of calories to your dish.
If you're mindful of preparation and careful about what ingredients you are adding to your red potato dish, there is no reason why you can't have a red potato dish that is both healthy and delicious.
Are Red Potatoes A Good Or Bad Carb?
While healthy and rich in essential nutrients, red potatoes do carry a substantial amount of starch. Starches indicate a higher level of carbohydrates, which diabetics and pre-diabetics need to count carefully. But are the carbs in red potatoes considered good carbs or bad carbs?
The high starch content makes the carbohydrates in a potato bad carbs. Typically, starches take longer to break down in the body, meaning that they won't raise your glucose levels. But the starches found in red potatoes (among others) are digested much faster. This results in the body's glucose levels rising substantially.
The fact that red potatoes are higher in bad carbs doesn't mean that this food is unhealthy. In fact, the nutrient-rich red potato is an excellent source of vitamins C, B6, and potassium. Carefully controlling the portions you eat will ensure you get the essential nutrients that your body needs while still limiting your carbohydrate intake.
In Closing
Red potatoes can be cooked in various ways, and there are many terrific recipes out there to try. No matter if you're boiling, frying, baking, or sauteeing, you're sure to find a red potato recipe that is both tasty and filling.
Red potatoes contain the same nutrients as russet and sweet potatoes, but with less starch and sugars. While this does make the red potato a bit more healthy, proper portion control with any variety of potato is key for staying within the body's carbohydrate needs.
Lastly, while red potatoes are comprised of bad carbs, they are still a healthy source of your body's vitamins. But if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, you'll need to make sure that you carefully watch your intake of red potatoes so that your body's glucose levels remain in the recommended range.
If you enjoyed reading this post about red potato recipes, we believe you'll like reading the following cooking posts:
Should You Oil Potatoes Before Baking?
