New potatoes are an abused and misunderstood category. I see red nearly every time I order them in a restaurant, because that is what arrives: small red potatoes. “Small and red” does not mean new. “A new potato is one that has tender skin and has just been harvested from a plant with still-green foliage, unlike mature potatoes, which are harvested when the vine dies”, explains Jim Gerritsen, a co-owner of Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, Maine. New potatoes are the delicate first crop of any potato variety. Some may be small, but others are the same size as mature, stored potatoes. With the exception of new-crop potatoes, others are cured, that is, held in a humid environment for about 2 weeks at 50° to 60°F to heal cuts and bruises and toughen the skin. The temperature is then lowered gradually to suitable storage conditions at which potatoes may remain for up to 9 months without appreciable loss, according to growers. Improperly stored, they shrink, darken, and develop soft spots. Once stored, a potato is not new—no matter how small, what color, or how thin-skinned it is. Perhaps new potatoes might be better served by the name fresh-harvest or first-crop potatoes.
