Purple potatoes?

[Headfry]

Just been taken out for dinner by Mr HF, one of our favorite resturants - it's right by the river in Oxford (you can hire punts here too) thing is I had purple potatoes? were they for real and if so what variety were they, any one got any ideas please. They were ok, quite floury but very nice with the hallibut! had the sweetest best cooked scallops ever feel very full now.

[nerdgas]

Salad Blue?

I'm growing these this year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Salad_Potato.jpg

http://www.jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/sec...blue-p219.html

[Alison]

There are a few varieties of funny coloured potatoes, mainly blues / purples, I think. To be honest I've never really fancied them that much although we do end up with slightly purple mash after we've steamed purple carrots over the spud pan.........

[Headfry]

Hmmmm please let me know what they are like? Have to add to the above - the colour was a little off putting, its not really a colour often seen in a main course - bit like blue food really - never right These really were purple and purple all the way through to boot!
Its quite a well respected resturant so doubt they would do anything daft.

[Paulottie]

Thanks Nerdgas...a girl was asking me about blue spuds at the allotment today. Can tell her now. Though I did suggest she look on the Vine.

Is there one called Endzell or similar ... or did I just imagine that?

Just used the rather excellent search facility...no sign, must be senility.

[Mrs Jackson]

There's one called Edzell Blue which is very floury - you have to steam it as it falls apart if you boil it. I think they're only purple skinned though, the insides are white.

Mrs J

[Two_Sheds]

I grew Skerry Blue and Mr Little's Yetholm Gypsy last year (and they've been replanted this year too, very pretty they are)

Photo here

[tattieman]

There has been a variety released by Bartletts called Purple Majesty and it is proper purple all the way through it. Other possibles as mentioned above are Salad Blue, Congo, Vitolette. There are lots of blue/purple skinned ones but they are normally white or yellow fleshed.

[SarzWix]

They might look 'gimmicky' but they're probably very good for you - the compounds that make colours in veg (anthcyanins etc.) tend to have cancer fighting properties amonst other things. So a potato that's purple all the way through likely has higher levels than a potato with just purple skin

[Jillyreeves]

Im growing Congo this year, they are purple through and through.

[Janek]

I have been enjoying a variety called Sapphire, bought from a grower at our local farmers market - Sapphire potatoes. They are purple throughout and are very tasty as a boiling, microwaved or mashed variety (being floury). He secured the seeds for them from the Victorian Ag Dept which trials thousands of spud varieties each year and offers seeds of the best performing varieties for Victorian growers, and any other growers who might want them.

[shirlthegirl43]

I have grown Edzell Blue and they do indeed have only a blue skin. They are yummy spuds though and I really should have ordered seed for them again.

[bobleponge]

I grew a few Congo last year, quite nice spuds too.
I had a plan to have a platefull of different coloured veggies (as in different to the norm) so had purple carrots, purple spuds, black toms, etc etc.

I think I have a couple of seed spuds left for my Congo as well, (I know I know, shouldnt self save etc) and they will be going in as soon as I get home.

[Flummery]

One of the spuds I grew from true seed of Salad Blue (I called it Amethyst) makes a fab purple potato salad. Extra anthocyanins of you add red onion I reckon!

[organic]

I've got a few tubers of Salad Blue - though as the name suggests it's more of a salad spud. I'd love to grow a purple spud that was more towards the "floury" end of the scale.
Floury spuds are the future!