Ozette Potato

About

According to Slow Food USA, The Ozette came from Peru by way of Spanish explorers who brought it up the coast to the Makah Indians at Neah Bay, Washington in the late 1700s.

After the Europeans abandoned their settlement, the Makah continued to cultivate this potato as an easy source of carbohydrates, which were hard to come by in the Pacific Northwest at the time.

While all potatoes originally came from Peru and the surrounding countries, most of the varieties available today in North American were brought back from Europe. This makes the Makah Ozette a truly unique potato.

This potato is a very-late season heirloom. It has fingerling tubers with bumpy, buff skin and waxy, white flesh. Good for storage. High resistance to scab. skin is firm and the inside is creamy and delicious when cooked, either steamed, roasted or fried.

Information

Other names: Anna Cheeka's Ozette, Makah Ozette

Translations: Ozette Kartupeļu, Ozette bulvių, Ozette de cartofi, Ozette Krumpir, Ozette khoai tây, Ozette ziemniaków, Ozette Aardappel, Ozette आलू, Ozette Batata, Озетт картофеля, Ozette πατάτας, Ozette البطاطا, Ozette 감자, Ozette brambor, Озетте Кромпир, Ozette patatas, 奥泽特马铃薯, Ozette Papa, Ozette krompirja, Ozeta zemiakov, Ozette di patate, Ozette תפוחי אדמה, Ozette Potatis, Ozette Kentang, オゼットポテト, Ozette de pommes de terre, Ozette Papa, Озетт картоплі, Ozette Peruna, Ozette картофи

Physical Description

Elongated fingerlings with bumpy, buff skin and waxy, white flesh

Colors: beige to cream

Tasting Notes

Flavors: Nutty, earthy

Mouthfeel: Creamy

Food complements: Butter, Cream, Salt, Garlic, Fresh herbs

Wine complements: White wine, Red wine

Beverage complements: Beer, Hard cider

Substitutes: Yukon gold potatoes, Red potatoes

Selecting and Buying

Seasonality: september, opctober, november

Peak: september, opctober, november

Choosing: Look for unblemished skin with out scabs.

Buying: Available at farmers markets in mid to late fall.

Procuring: To grow your own, save a few by storing them in barely damp sand in a cool, dry place that doesn't freeze. By spring, you can cut the wrinkled potatoes into 1-inch pieces, each with an "eye" or little sprout. Plant them in full sun in compost-enriched soil and each will grow into a plant that may produce as many as 10 to 15 potatoes next summer

Preparation and Use

Simply stem, roast, or saute.

Cleaning: Rinse the dirt away.

Conserving and Storing

Store in a cool dark place.

Social/Political

Recently, this unassuming little potato was introduced to a group called Slow Food Seattle, which works to preserve and renew interest in the traditional foods of the maritime Northwest.

History: Thin-skinned and lumpy in looks, the Ozette potato was introduced to Makah Nation people in 1791. At that time, explorers from South America built an outpost fort near Ozette Lake at Neah Bay, but abandoned it about a year later. Since then, the Ozette potato has been passed down by generations of Makah gardeners, who prize it for its distinctive flavor.