Russet Potato

A russet potato is a large, brown-skinned baking potato with dry, pale flesh. High starch and low moisture yield a fluffy interior and crisp, crackling skin when roasted or baked. It mashes smoothly and excels for fries, hash browns, and gnocchi; sold loose or bagged, often labeled as baking potatoes.

Bred in the United States from late 19th-century cultivars such as Russet Burbank, it became a dominant storage potato across the Pacific Northwest and Idaho. It features prominently in American and British cooking for baked potatoes, chips/fries, and mash. Commercial production relies on long-term, controlled-atmosphere storage to maintain year-round supply.