The fingerling potato doesn’t look like much at first. Small and knobby, it tends to get overlooked in favor of bigger, more familiar spuds. Once you start incorporating them in your own cooking, it becomes clear why farmers have been growing these elongated heritage varieties for centuries.
Fingerlings trace back to the Andes, where Indigenous farmers cultivated varieties as far back as 8,000 years ago. When Spanish explorers brought them back to Europe, growers eventually refined them into distinct varieties. Those varieties eventually made their way to the United States and the types available in your farm box are grown by farmers in California.
Fingerling potatoes get their name because these potatoes grow narrow and elongated, like the fingers of a hand. Unlike other potato varieties, fingerlings are always fully mature at harvest, needing roughly 90 to 110 days in loose, well-drained soil.
Russian Banana, one of the most common fingerlings in the U.S., has golden, waxy flesh and a gentle curve. (Its origins trace to the 18th-century Baltic coast, then part of the Russian Empire.) French Fingerling has dusty rose skin and pink-streaked golden flesh. Purple Fingerlings get their vivid purple interior and dark exterior from anthocyanins, the same antioxidant pigment found in blueberries.
So, what really makes fingerling potatoes different from russets or Yukons? The answer lies in their starch content. Since fingerlings are low-starch and waxy, they hold their shape when cooked, turning creamy rather than fluffy. We find that they're best roasted; halve them lengthwise, toss with olive oil and salt, and lay them cut-side down on a sheet pan at 425°F. They come out with a caramelized crust and a buttery interior that needs little else.
The taste is nutty and earthy, with a depth that a standard russet rarely matches. Russian Banana runs buttery and smooth, French fingerlings are denser, a little sweeter, purple fingerlings tend to be drier and creamier when cooked. Their thin skins are worth keeping on, and like most other potatoes, fingerlings are great sources of potassium and vitamin C. ⚘
How To Add Farm Stand Products to Your Delivery
CSA members — head on over to our online Farm Stand Market to customize your upcoming delivery. Market is open from noon on Thursday until 6 p.m. on your cutoff date. After you confirm your produce items, click the orange button "Confirm and Continue To Other Farm Products" to add the products to your delivery.
