Types: Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles potatoes

Subject: Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles potatoes
Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking
From: daveyjakob at netscape.net
Date: 10 Oct 2006 16:47:33 -0700
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Could anyone tell me the name of the potatoes A.B. uses in his restaurant? It's in the cookbook. It's actually the name of the distibutor, and not a type of potato.

Thanks
From: Bob Terwilliger (virtualgoth at die_spammer.biz)
Date: 11 Oct 2006 03:04:01 -0500
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daveyjakob asked:
> Could anyone tell me the name of the potatoes A.B. uses in his
> restaurant? It's in the cookbook. It's actually the name of the
> distibutor, and not a type of potato.

Here's what the book says: "An Idaho potato, roughly peeled, is what we use. Specifically, we use what is called a GPOD 70 potato -- meaning it's an Idaho potato of a certain size conducive to perfect fry-dom. It comes 70 to a case."
From: Steve Wertz (swertz at cluemail.compost)
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 16:22:44 GMT
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daveyjakob asked:
> Could anyone tell me the name of the potatoes A.B. uses in his
> restaurant? It's in the cookbook. It's actually the name of the
> distibutor, and not a type of potato.

http://gpodpotatoes.com/
From: Taterman (dodiorne at potato.idaho.gov)
Date: 13 Oct 2006 07:41:01 -0700
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daveyjakob asked:
> Could anyone tell me the name of the potatoes A.B. uses in his
> restaurant? It's in the cookbook. It's actually the name of the
> distibutor, and not a type of potato.

https://idahopotato.com/directory/shippers/gpod-of-idaho

GPOD is an Idaho shipper that specializes in the Russet Burbank variety. This variety, named after the scientist Luther Burbank, is very high in solids (starch) and low in moisture. It is the preferred variety for preparing fresh cut fries and is used in many recipes calling for a low moisture potato. The link above lists the GPOD contact information, but unfortunately the web site does not currently seem to be active. Much of the GPOD product is sold at terminal markets such as Hunts Point, where they have established a loyal following over the years. When trying to replicate the recipe, look for the variety name on the bag or carton and the "grown in Idaho" seal to confirm that the potatoes actually came from Idaho.
From: JoeSpareBedroom (dishborealis at yahoo.com)
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:42:38 GMT
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Taterman wrote:
> GPOD is an Idaho shipper that specializes in the Russet Burbank
> variety. This variety, named after the scientist Luther Burbank, is
> very high in solids (starch) and low in moisture.

It's also one of the most heavily poisoned potato varieties on earth. Bon appetit!
From: Goomba38 (goomba38 at comcast.net)
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 12:29:26 -0400
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JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
> It's also one of the most heavily poisoned potato varieties on earth. Bon
> appetit!

Do you mean "poisonous" ??
From: JoeSpareBedroom (dishborealis at yahoo.com)
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:37:39 GMT
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Goomba38 wrote:
> Do you mean "poisonous" ??

No. I mean "poisoned" by pesticides and fungicides, many of which are systemic, meaning they're absorbed into the plant, so they cannot be washed off. This particular type of potato is much more heavily treated than other potatoes, and vegetables in general. The reason is simple: The primary market for Russet Burbanks is the fast food biz, dominated by McDonald's, who requires absolutely perfect potatoes with almost zero imperfections.

The land on which they're grown is largely barren of other forms of life. This is not normal on most farms, even when some chemicals are used.

In a book I read which described the industry, one farmer commented that when his wife wants potatoes for family consumption, she goes down the road to an organic grower.
From: Donald Martinich (dutchm at dcn.org)
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:55:36 -0700
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Taterman wrote:
> GPOD is an Idaho shipper that specializes in the Russet Burbank
> variety. This variety, named after the scientist Luther Burbank, is
> very high in solids (starch) and low in moisture.

Idaho Russets are very good for frying, but I found something better. In my last cooking job, I was able to try to produce perfect french fries. I ended up double-frying hand-cut Nevada Russets. They were from the Winnemucca area. Here's a shipper's website: http://www.usfds.com/fresh_potatos.htm [archive.org]

Eat well and often-