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New Potatoes: How to Properly Prepare the Tubers

We have been able to buy the first early potatoes since mid-May. They taste particularly good with asparagus, but you should pay attention to a few points when preparing them.

Their skin is thin and the starch content is low: new potatoes are tasty. In Germany, the first early potatoes are already harvested in mid-May. Common varieties are called Palatinate Krumbeere, Annabelle, Anuschka, Belana, Gala or Solist. They have a shorter growing time than regular ware potatoes. The first early potatoes can also be harvested in your own garden.

The tubers have a lower starch content, but at the same time they are rich in high-quality protein, potassium, B vitamins, and vitamin C, according to the Federal Center for Nutrition (BZfE).

Remove green spots: prepare new potatoes correctly

You can use the potatoes to cook delicious dishes, for example the classic: boiled potatoes with seasonal white or green asparagus. However, there are a few things to consider when preparing it.

To preserve most of the nutrients, new potatoes are best cooked with their skins on. However, before consumption, the shell should be removed. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommends eating new potatoes only with the skin on if it is fresh and undamaged.

In particular, you should never eat the green parts of the tubers: there is solanine in the skin. The slightly toxic compound protects potatoes from predators in nature. Solanine can also cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in humans. If a potato dish tastes bitter, you shouldn’t eat it, and children should only be given peeled potatoes.

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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