Baked Potatoes Are 10x More Flavorful When You Use This Variety That 'Tastes Like Roast Chicken'

There are few things on the dinner table that hold a candle to the humble yet mighty baked potato. Whether served fully loaded or seasoned with coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, it's a side dish that shouldn't be overlooked. There are plenty of genius tips for upgrading baked potatoes' crunchy exterior and fluffy interior. Choosing the right potato, too, makes a difference in the result. While the Russet or Idaho potatoes are excellent options, there's a new potato on the block making waves for its chicken-like flavor: The poulette.

The poulette potato is grown by Row 7 Seeds, Chef and Co-Founder Dan Barber's vegetable and seed company based in New York's Hudson Valley. The potato is the brainchild of second-generation potato breeder Dr. Walter De Jong, along with legendary French chef Michel Bras, who went into a deep spud discussion while attending one of Barber's conferences. Bras proclaimed his love for a variety that his mother grew in France, the Institut de Beauvais, which is known for its savory, nutty flavor and starchier, firmer body. De Jong got to work on it with the research team. After a decade of testing, the poulette — a New York and Institut de Beauvais hybrid — was born.

According to Barber and the Row 7 team, the aptly named poulette — which translates to "young chicken" in French — tastes like roast chicken. Per an interview with Food & Wine, "If you're ready to give Poulette a try, Barber suggests keeping it easy the first time around. 'Start simple: bake it or roast it. My cooks swear it tastes like roast chicken,' he said." Heard, Chef.

The poulette's high starch content makes it particularly exceptional for numerous cooking methods, such as mashing, roasting, and baking. With that in mind, when using a poulette potato for baking, simply season with salt and pepper and bake as is to partake in the potato's natural chicken flavor. Try coating the exterior with beef tallow for crispier skin and to amplify the meaty flavor.

Poulette potatoes benefit from schmaltz, or fat released from chicken skin, either used as an exterior coating before roasting or incorporated in a gravy to top the potatoes. These spuds also take well to a smattering of herbs when baked, including rosemary and thyme. Turn your poulette potato into a full meal by adding a hearty spoonful of Buffalo chicken dip — super comforting during any night of the year, especially winter.

For those living in New York's Tri-state area, good news: Poulette potatoes are currently sold at some 60 Whole Foods Markets, with a future rollout to be discussed at a later date. The company is working with some 50 plant breeders across the country for distribution. So stay tuned for when they're available in your neck of the woods.