Maris Piper chips

[Gwyndy]

I am partial to the occasional chip! If I use bought Maris Piper potatoes the results are excellent - nice and fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. (Cooked slowly for about 10 mins at low temperature, removed from oil and allowed to stand, then fried at high temperature for a couple of mins.)

However, the results with my own Maris Piper potatoes are awful - they end up with a very tough outer layer.

Any ideas?

[JILLY JACKSON]

Hi Gwyndy,I too use maris piper for chips and they are great chips!I bought myself an actifry which is brilliant(low fat)but ive also only used shop bought spuds.I was going to grow maris piper next year,but if they arnt any good shant bother.Have you tried using them for other things like mashing etc?What are they like then?

[Gwyndy]

Hi Jilly,
Just cannot get good results from my own spuds - it's quite bizarre!! It is possible that my potatoes are too fresh and/or maybe I am not washing out the starch well enough. I'm going to keep trying different things. Watch this space!! For general use the Maris Pipers are fine - good flavour, mash well. You have to watch them if you are boiling as they can disintegrate pretty quickly if you over-cook them.

[JILLY JACKSON]

thanks Gwyndy,may try some anyway as i like the flavour.Too late this year i've been told but i did in desperation put three small charlotte potatoes in a container a couple of weeks ago just on the off chance i may get a few spuds later on.Have you tried any of the other varieties?with what results?I must confess that i must have saved myself a fortune in picking other peoples brains on here .thanks.jilly

[jacob marley]

Well i think the answer to your problem is where the bought in potatoe's are grown.
The reason i think so is 45 year's ago i used to drive a lorry for a Hay Staw and Potato merchant the potatoe's we used to sell to chip shops in and around Birmingham .
We used to go into Lincolnshire for the potatoe's because the potatoe's grown down the fens were a harder potato and did not soak up the fat they was cooked in.
So this may be somewhere towards the answer to your problem jacob marley

[JILLY JACKSON]

Aah,makes sense jacob marley,so basically i'd be better growing a type of potato that is going to do the job in my own area.Who knows what would be good in my area?Could go down to our allotments and ask i suppose,may be a wise move.Thank you.

[PAULW]

I get wonderful chips from my maris piper but I dont mess about cooking for ten minutes at low temp first just chuck em in hot fat works for me.

[Tam]

If you dig maris piper up too early they are not as good for chips. If you leave them in the ground until the shaws wither, you will find they are flourier and do taste better.

[Gwyndy]

Jilly, The spuds that I have grown this year are -
First earlies - Maris Peer - great when lifted young and small
Earlies - Saxon - nice flavour but need very careful cooking
Maincrop - Maris Piper

Thanks everyone else for comments on my chips.