Terra Rosa is a relatively new variety, developed by the Northwest Potato Variety Development Program. It was released by Oregon State University in 2012. They found their way to the Carrboro Farmers’ Market via Perry-Winkle Farm. As soon as I discovered them, terra rosa potatoes became my favorite variety. There was no competition. I’m all about eating the rainbow, with the understanding that every pigment provides its own unique set of phytonutrients. The pink color of the terra rosa flesh makes it stand out, and it has indeed been tested and shown to have higher antioxidant levels when compared to white fleshed potatoes. But color and nutrition are of less value without great taste. To me, terra rosa potatoes preform similarly to the most popular variety of all-purpose potatoes, Yukon gold. Yes, anything that you can do with a Yukon gold potato, you can do with a terra rosa. But it will be more nutritious and way more fun.
While I stated that terra rosa potatoes became my favorite when I discovered them, they do now have competition. The blackberry potato is a newcomer and is my co-favorite.
How to Use Terra Rosa Potatoes
Baked
Skip the foil. Prick the potatoes in several places with the tip of a sharp knife. Toss the whole potatoes in olive oil with salt and pepper. Make sure the oil covers the entire surface. Crank your oven to 500, 550 if it goes there. Baking at this high temperature crisps up the skin and makes it the best part of the dish. The time will vary depending on the size of the potatoes, but large terra rosa potatoes (which are smaller than large russet potatoes) probably take 35-40 minutes. To serve, split them open in the traditional way, drizzle with a good olive oil, sprinkle chives and add some more salt and pepper.
Grilled
Sumer time is grilling time. There’s such a variety of produce that works wonderfully on the grill. Pink potatoes are a welcome addition to the rainbow. Slice them in half and then toss them in olive oil with salt and pepper. I expose both sides to high heat to get that grilled color, and then move them to a cooler spot to cook through. You want them to be soft and creamy throughout, with no raw potato crunch. Warning, potatoes take longer on the grill than most things, and they retain their heat much better than other things. Get them started first and give them some time to cool as other items on the grill finish up.
Mashed
Use your go to recipe, whatever it is, especially if it uses lots of butter! I like to leave the skins on. Here I pair mashed terra rosa potatoes with carbonnade, a Flemish style stew featuring a broth made with Belgian style beer. Pretty in Pink!
Smashed
Boil them. Smash them on a baking tray. Give them a couple minutes to let some steam escape, then drizzle them with olive oil. Preferably olive oil that you infused with garlic just before drizzling. Strain out the garlic as it will burn in the oven. Sprinkle salt and pepper and then throw them in a high temp oven to roast until all the rough edges become golden and crispy.
Any Other Way
For whatever your favorite recipes are using Yukon golds, give terra rosa a try. Your friends and family will smile at the color and they’ll love the flavor.
The bottom line, be on the lookout for terra rosa potatoes at your local market. If a farmer is offering other varieties of potatoes, ask them if they’ve heard about terra rosa potatoes. That conversation may lead to getting some introduced into their next potato crop. You’ll be happy.
2 Responses
Hi there. I grow an all pink potato but have no idea what it is called. I love it. I had a massive potato failure this year (I live by Edmonton Alberta Canada) and I want to get some more all pink potatoes. Any ideas? It looked similar to your Terra Rosa.
Hi Kathy,
Unfortunately, I don’t have experience with where to order potato stock from. Internet searches for “terra rosa potatoes” get a bunch of hits, but I can’t speak to the quality of any the companies. This one looks promising, though: https://www.grandtetonorganics.com/Products/terra-rosa.aspx – They also offer Black Berry potatoes which I also have written up on my website – they have the purplest of purple flesh, and are a great all around potato like Yukon Gold and Terra Rosa.
Best of luck on that crop next year!
Kurt