Fingerling Potatoes

The potato harvest has begun - Last year Reyn casually threw in the ground some old potatoes that had started to sprout.  From that meager beginning we harvested over 50 pounds of potatoes. It was a total surprise.  This year he approached it more seriously.  He made a trip to our local garden store, Down to Earth, and selected 4 varieties to plant:  Adirondak Blue, Norkota, Yukon Gold, and an unlabeled Fingerling potato.

Traditionally, potatoes are planted on St. Patty's Day.  Our's went in the ground on March 24th.  They were planted about 4" deep and 18" apart.  Potatoes require reasonably fertile soil that is loose and well drained.  They also seem to do quite well in the compost pile, which really has no soil at all, but is very loose and rich in nutrients.  Every year we are surprised by one or two plants that appear there.

This year's compost harvest

 Early in the season Reyn planted a lettuce border around the perimeter of the potato bed.  We had far more lettuce than we could eat so he ended up allowing it to grow tall and shade the potato plants.  We are now wondering if the close proximity of the lettuce roots may have reduced the number of potatoes produced.  This year's harvest was about 40 pounds.  We have yet to try the Norkota or Adriondak Blues, but I can report that the fingerlings are delicious.  My son, Tyler, likes to grill these little potatoes.  Here is his recipe.


Tyler's Grilled Fingerlings

Slice the desired number of potatoes in half lengthwise
Toss with olive oil
Season with salt, pepper, chili, oregano, and whatever suits you
Place on hot grill and turn until cooked through and nicely browned on the outside.  May take about 15 minutes.

They are soft in the middle and crisp on the outside.  Very nice with barbecue or grilled meat, fish, or chicken.