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Purple potatoes seem to have an anti-inflammatory effect, in contrast to yellow potatoes and white potatoes.

Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Purple Potatoes.

I'll have to see if I can find those at Whole Foods.

I just asked Jeff about that video a couple days ago. My concern was the negative portrayal of white potatoes. You can see his reply here.

I have seen the small, baby purple potatoes in the store and been tempted to try them, they just look so odd. They're also a bit pricey. But I think I'm going to buy a bag and try them. A little variety never hurt anyone and I acutally have not yet met a potato I didn't like!

My wife bought a mixed bagged of potatoes from Costco I believe and there were quite a few purples included. We loved them!

Purple ones taste just like potatoes:)

Steamed purple potatoes got me through two 8 hr mountain bike races. I had visions of purple potatoes dancing in my head!

My wife commented to me the purples were sweeter. I had them loaded so I tasted no difference.

Just back from the store. I bought a bag of yellow, rose and purple. Does anyone know if they are GMO? What makes them purple?

Thanks Steve. After I got home with them I wondered if they were somehow genetically modified to make them purple.

Oh wow, I haven't had purple potatoes in awhile. We had a purple potato salad at a vegan restaurant in Hawaii that was so yummy we bought the cookbook (Vegan World Fusion Cuisine).

I think they may be a bit sweeter, I tasted them unseasoned side by side with a yellow and a rose. They seemed to have a less creamy texture than other potatoes. Of the three I like the rose best. But as I said earlier, I've never met a potato I didn't like.

For the price difference I'll likely stick to my Yukon Golds, using these specialty potatoes as an occasional treat.

Keep in mind, when making comparisons, the purple potatoes are a type of sweet potato, different genus than regular potatoes. And it's not just the flavor that makes them unique. The anthocyanin, that gives them the purple color, also gives them a high level of anti-oxidants.

Here's a nice little write up on the Okinawan Sweet Potato. I learned something new in that... I thought those purple potatoes were unique to Okinawa, but they are native to the Americas and were introduced to Asia around the 16th century.

Purple mashed potatoes would be fun... although I certainly wouldn't use that recipe. All that dairy... bleh.

Isn't playing with potato varieties fun?!

A recent recipe from Susan V's blog http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/05/na ... ugula.html I've seen recipes for red, white, and blue potato salads, but I can't remember where. Blended bags are usually available for tomorrow's holiday meals.

Also interesting images from Google https://www.google.com/search?q=potato+ ... 2wXBkrS4Aw

And the wikipedia entry when I searched for "potato varieties" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato

There are purple varieties in both "regular" potatoes and "sweet" potatoes. Your local farmers markets are great places to look for varieties not sold in grocery stores.

I think the analysis of the purple potatoes is interesting. It would be interesting to find out whether or not purple potatoes have a lower relative risk of diabetes or metabolic syndrome than white potatoes.

I do not eat potatoes and prefer whole grains for my starch as potatoes have, in some studies, shown to have a 30 percent higher relative risk of type 2 diabetes when substituting potatoes for whole grains, one serving per day. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16469985

Paul