Patata

Early potatoes, usually known as patate novelle (new potatoes), are small, firm and waxy and ideal in potato salads, where cooked potatoes are dressed with olive oil, vinegar, spring onions, salt and pepper. Of the many varieties available, the most important are the floury winter potatoes such as Tonda di Napoli and Bianca di Como, the white flesh of which is used to make purées, gnocchi, croquettes and toppings for savoury pies. They can also be baked whole with their skins on, cut into cubes or sliced with onions. They make a useful thickener for soups such as minestrone and a tasty accompaniment to pasta in pasta e patate. Potatoes are probably most popular fried in matchsticks or thin slices called patatine (crisps). Those with a firmer more waxy yellow flesh, such as Primura and Sirtema, are ideal for making chips or sautéed potatoes. There is a potato called the Bintje which has been developed in Holland and can be used for every sort of dish.