BY LOIS DESOCIO

Used to be that a Saturday afternoon meant combing the stores (pre-mall), with girlfriends, for a cool “outfit” for Saturday night. Once home with the goods, hours were spent spicing up – bejeweling. There was the dive into the closet, and the tossing out of: the perfect pair of shoes. The dressing-up with earrings, bracelets (headbands!) – all part of the prep.

We would then head for the bar. Our mission: Find crowds of men. Get free drinks.

But now, since those “salad days,” are forever crunched and eternally stored in my hippocampus, I’ve learned that the middle-aged me can be just as besotted by the shopping for and the spicing up and the bejeweling of – potatoes. Especially the purple ones. Aside from fries and chips (usually eaten in the wee hours and shoved in three or more at a time), I’ve not paid much attention to what you can do to a potato.

According to the International Potato Center, there are over four thousand different kinds of potatoes, and potatoes are the third most important food crop in the world.

So Julie and I recently spent a whole Saturday afternoon playing with five different kinds of potatoes that she picked up at the farmers’ market in the city. They had cool names: Purple Majesty, Magic Molly, Red Thumb, and Yellow Fin.

Hours were spent spicing up – bejeweling. There was the dive into my kitchen cabinets, and the tossing out of: the perfect roasting pan and cupcake tins. The dressing-up with olive oil, rosemary (garlic chives!) – all part of the prep.

We then put them in the oven. Our mission: Eat them. Have a martini.

So here are our potatoes – all hot, spiced, bejeweled, and accompanied by some prices, and our two-cents:

Purple Majesty – Flavorful. The taste bounces all over your mouth:


Fingerlings – Bland. Not finger-licking:

Magic Molly – Purple. But not majestic, like its cousin. (Plus they were $3/lb. Purple Majesty a bargain at $1.50/lb.):

Red Thumb – Delectable. Tastes like earth. 
Accompanied below by Yellow Fin – Potato(y). Would make a good chip:

Cool what you can do to a potato: