Blue potatoes are on everyone's lips. The upbeat tubers bring color to the plate and the bed. Which kind should it be? Get to know 10 premium varieties with tips on important properties, optimal preparation and high-yield cultivation in the hobby garden.

Blue potatoes are a special experience for the eye and for the palate

Table of Contents

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  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Skin + flesh blue
  3. blue shell
  4. Growing Tips
  5. frequently asked Questions

    6. the essentials in brief

    • Top varieties with blue skin and flesh are Vitelotte, Blauer Schwede, Blaue Anneliese, Blaue Sankt Galler and Purple Rain.
    • Premium varieties with blue skin and light flesh are Odenwald Blue, Sarpo Blue Danube, Shetland Black, Arran Victory and Black Ungarin.
    • The best time to plant blue seed potatoes is in April in a sunny location in fresh, moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich soil. The more eyes the seed, the higher the yield of blue potatoes.

    Blue potatoes - 5 top varieties - blue skin, blue flesh

    Some potato varieties are blue both inside and out

    We invite you to take a stroll through the colorful world of spectacular blue potatoes. Get to know 5 top varieties that inspire with blue skin and blue flesh:

    Premium varieties (blue/blue) vitelotte Blue Swede Blue Anneliese Blue St. Gallen purple rain
    cooking property sticky floury sticky mostly sticky sticky
    maturing time late medium early medium late to late medium early medium early
    color of pulp violet-blue violet, spotted with white dark blue blue to violet violet blue/white marbled
    color shell dark blue violet with silver scab blue-black dark blue blue-black
    origin France Sweden Lüneburg Heath Switzerland Netherlands

    Is your mouth watering just looking at our blue potato favourites? Then read on. In the following sections, we subject each top variety to a Lukullus check with practical tips for optimal preparation.

    vitelotte

    Vitelotte is probably the best-known blue potato variety

    Vitelotte is probably the best-known blue potato variety in Germany. French star chefs aptly named the sapphire among potatoes the truffle potato. In fact, the exquisite taste is reminiscent of truffles and mildly spicy chestnuts. The potato delicacy is highly recommended as:

    • Jacket potatoes with melted cheese
    • thinly sliced and fried as a potato carpaccio
    • Potato salad (mixed with light and red potatoes)

    Blue Swede

    The legendary variety from Scandinavia takes 130 to 150 days to mature. When cooked, the color of the pulp changes from violet to blue. Blue Swede scores with excellent food value and is also known under the trade names Blue Congo and Idaho Blue. Gourmets recommend not boiling these blue potatoes, instead gently steaming them or baking them in the oven. Blue Swede is primarily suitable:

    • as boiled potatoes
    • for mashed potatoes
    • as a baked potato

    Blue Anneliese

    In 2004, the tasty Blaue Anneliese celebrated its premiere on the market. Since then, the connoisseurs among the hobby gardeners have succumbed to the fine blue potato and buy all the supplies of seed potatoes for their own cultivation every season. Our extra tip: If you want to grow the Blue Anneliese yourself, reserve the seeds in good time with your trusted supplier. The blue potato is ideally prepared:

    • as boiled potatoes
    • as boiled potatoes with quark
    • as baked potatoes with crème fraîche

    Blue St. Gallen

    Christoph Gamperli from Flawil worked for 15 years until he was able to present his new breed in 2004. The result can be seen and tasted. Blauer Sankt Galler impress in terms of colour, taste, texture and appearance. Thanks to an at least semi-solid consistency, this premium variety is particularly suitable as:

    • Salt potatoes
    • Salad Potatoes
    • baked potatoes

    In the following video, the breeder has his say with interesting information about the Blaue Sankt Galler:

    youtube

    purple rain

    The new breed from 2022 convinces with firm, purple-white marbled flesh. The blue potato has a very good taste and can be stored for a long time. The color is preserved during cooking even if you peel the tubers. Recommended preparations are:

    • Salt potatoes
    • fried potatoes
    • potato salad

    digression

    Blue potatoes are healthy

    Blue potatoes owe their beautiful blue color to valuable secondary ingredients, the anthocyanins. These bioflavoids are found primarily in blue, purple and red food plants and are useful as natural antioxidants. Scientists discovered that the blue natural dye lowers blood pressure, strengthens circulation, protects cells and has an anti-inflammatory effect. If blue potatoes are regularly served, the health and well-being of the whole family will benefit from the colorful treat.

    5 top varieties - blue skin, yellow flesh

    Other potato varieties only have a blue skin but are yellow on the inside

    Do you have a penchant for experimenting with color on your plate, but don't feel like going on culinary adventures? Then the following blue potatoes are just the thing to grow and enjoy yourself. These 5 top varieties impress with their blue skin and classic yellow flesh:

    Premium varieties (blue/yellow) Odenwald Blue Sarpo Blue Danube Shetland Black Arran Victory Black Hungarian
    cooking property mealy mostly sticky mostly sticky mealy mealy
    maturing time medium early precocious medium early very late medium early
    color of pulp light yellow White white with violet ring light yellow to whitish light yellow to white
    color shell violet-blue blue red blue-black dark blue-violet dark blue, almost black
    origin Germany Wales Great Britain Scotland Hungary

    The following Lukullus check, with tips for the ideal preparation, sums up why it is worth growing and eating the premium varieties on this list yourself.

    Odenwald Blue

    The historical variety from 1908 spoils the palate with its spicy taste. A special advantage is a robust resistance to viral diseases. Furthermore, the seed also delivers the best yields when the soil is slightly damper, as long as there is no waterlogging. Recommended preparations are:

    • Mashed potatoes
    • boiled potato
    • baked potato

    Sarpo Blue Danube

    Many blue potatoes can convince with the best taste in star quality. Sarpo Blue Danube also shines as a feast for the eyes in the bed with purple-black stems, dark shiny leaves and magnificent blue skins. The predominantly firm, white flesh tastes delicious like this:

    • in the potato salad
    • as fried potatoes
    • as a baked potato

    Shetland Black

    It's a remarkable blue potato that you harvest after 130 to 150 days of ripening. Under the blue-black skin is a very light-colored flesh. If you don't peel the piece of jewelry, the blue dye will transfer to the flesh during cooking and conjure up a delicate purple inner ring. Thanks to a creamy consistency, we recommend preparing it as:

    • salad
    • jacket potato
    • puree

    Arran Victory

    Blue roast potatoes are a special culinary experience

    Up to 170 ripening days pass before you can harvest these blue potatoes. It's worth the wait. Since the beginning of the 20th century, Arran Victory has given gardeners a good yield and is resistant to the dreaded late blight. In view of the fine, floury, flaky potato taste, this blue potato is best served like this:

    • as tender mashed potatoes
    • as spicy roast potatoes
    • Baked as a delicious potato gratin with cheese

    Black Hungarian

    The historic country variety from Hungary is used to grief when it comes to site conditions. Even if light supply and soil quality leave something to be desired, this hardy blue potato variety delivers considerable yields. The floury, creamy pulp is easy to process into:

    • dumplings
    • puree
    • Potato soup

    tips

    Blue potatoes with green spots on the skin are not ripe. The green color signals an increased level of toxic solanine, which causes nausea and stomach problems in larger quantities. By peeling the blue tubers, you reduce the solanine they contain. Extensively green potatoes from the category of blue varieties are not suitable for consumption.

    Growing blue potatoes - tips for amateur gardeners

    A variety of potatoes in the garden brings a variety of flavors to the plate

    Blue potatoes are out of the ordinary only in terms of colour. In relation to cultivation in the vegetable patch, the colorful tubers do not differ from traditional, light-colored varieties. The following tips summarize when you plant blue potatoes, which location the great tubers prefer and what to look out for when growing:

    • planting time: Early to mid-early varieties from the beginning of April, late-ripening varieties from the middle/end of April
    • seed quality: Place seed potatoes with as many eyes as possible
    • location: sunny and warm
    • floor: rich in nutrients, loose humus, fresh and moist, pH around 6.5
    • Plant spacing in row: 30 to 40 cm
    • row spacing: 50 to 60 cm (late varieties 65 to 70 cm)
    • pile up: from a growth height of 15 cm and when there is a risk of late frost

    If you prepare the bed in autumn of the previous year, blue potato varieties will give you a particularly rich harvest. To do this, rake the soil vigorously and work in 5 liters of mature compost per square meter.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are Blue Potatoes Healthy During Pregnancy?

    Blue potatoes have an extra portion of valuable nutrients and healthy organic flavonoids in their luggage. Scientists and nutrition experts confirm that regular consumption strengthens the circulatory system, regulates high blood pressure, mobilizes the immune system and prevents obesity. Expectant mothers in particular benefit from these properties during pregnancy.

    Potatoes have bruises on the skin. What to do?

    Potatoes, like people, react to violent impacts by bruising. Tubers often acquire these bumps on the long journey from harvest to store shelves. There is no reason for concern. Bruising on potatoes does not affect the taste and is not harmful to your health. When cooked, the blue spots turn black or brown, which doesn't look particularly appetizing. To counteract this, you can peel the potatoes and cut out the discolouration.

    Can you eat blue potatoes with their skins on?

    If you grow blue potatoes yourself or buy them in an organic shop, you can eat the tubers with their skins without hesitation. If you cook blue potatoes with their skins on, the rich color of the flesh is better preserved. To prepare them as fries, cut unpeeled blue potatoes into the right shape and enjoy the spicy blue sticks with their skins.

    tips

    Creative amateur chefs conjure up a motley potato festival on the table. The culinary stroke of genius succeeds with a mix of blue and red potato varieties. Delicious red potatoes are 'Heiderot', a tender new potato, 'rote Emmalie', a waxy delicacy and 'Red Cardinal', a historic noble variety from 1902.

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Vegetable garden