Pink Eye Potatoes
OUT OF SEASON

Pink Eye Potatoes

Tasmanian Pink Eye is a heritage potato with a devoted following across its home state, the kind of variety families build meals around the moment the season opens. Pink eyes scatter across golden yellow flesh, and the flavour runs naturally sweet and buttery. It arrives for a short window each year, and once you've had it fresh dug, the loyalty makes sense.

$8.50 / kilo

A b o u t   P i n k   E y e   P o t a t o e s

There are popular potatoes, and then there are potatoes people are devoted to. Pink Eye sits firmly in the second camp. It has been a heritage favourite across Tasmania for generations, the kind of variety families plan meals around when the season finally rolls in, and that loyalty is entirely earned once you taste it.

The look is part of the charm. Pink eyes dot across pale skin over a deep yellow flesh, and the flavour is naturally sweet and properly buttery, with just enough creaminess to set it apart from a strictly waxy spud. Those pink eyes are simply the natural colouring around the sprouts, and they have no effect on flavour, so there is nothing to trim or worry about.

This is unapologetically a seasonal variety. Pink Eye is dug across late autumn into early winter and then it disappears, which is exactly why its arrival feels like an occasion. Cook it gently and let it lead. Boil it whole in its skin, roast it whole, or dress it warm in a salad. At Spud Sisters we are proud to bring a genuine Tasmanian cult favourite to Melbourne tables, but only while the season allows.


The pink eyes that give the variety its name are natural pigment around the sprout points and have no bearing on the taste of the flesh.


Grown in Tasmania, and dug fresh during its short heritage season before heading to Melbourne. We keep cold storage out of the equation, because a new season favourite like this is only worth eating when it is genuinely fresh from the ground.


A medium Pink Eye carries more potassium than a banana, supporting healthy blood pressure, along with vitamin C and B6 for immune function and energy metabolism. It is naturally gluten free, and cooked and cooled, this variety develops resistant starch that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Its low to medium starch gives a gentle glycaemic response for steadier energy, and its golden yellow flesh signals carotenoids, the same antioxidant family found in carrots. It is naturally low in fat, it is what we add to potatoes that changes the picture, not the potato itself.

T r u s t e d   b y   A u s t r a l i a ' s   B e s t   C h e f s

 

Our potatoes turn up in restaurant kitchens right across Australia. From Melbourne's fine dining elite, to some of the country's most respected chefs, Spud Sisters are their go to source for gourmet potatoes.

Visually striking, technically reliable and full of flavour, they are grown to a standard a chef can build a dish around.

And here is the good bit... they are the exact same potatoes we send to your door.

There is no separate restaurant supply and no trade only batch. Whatever you are cooking tonight, you are starting with the same quality the professionals reach for. Restaurant results, your kitchen.

W h e r e   t o   b u y   t o n i g h t ?

This is one of those varieties that occasionally appears at good green grocers and farmers markets, but stock is inconsistent and is rarely at supermarkets.

If you need it for a particular recipe or just to wow your friends with a showstopping dinner party dish, ordering ahead is the only way to guarantee it.

Check if Spud Sisters is at a market near you, or order online now for delivery to your door. Our potatoes store well and depending on seasonality can keep for up to 4 weeks, so there's a good reason to have a kilo or two ready before the occasion demands it.

Explore Markets

LOOK AFTER THEM

H o w   t o   s t o r e   y o u r   p o t a t o e s

Cool, dark and dry

A pantry or cupboard away from sunlight is ideal. Light exposure can cause greening and too much warmth accelerates sprouting.

Don’t refrigerate

Cold converts potato starch to sugar, affecting both flavour and texture when cooked. Starchy varieties are specifically sensitive to cold storage - so to keep the crisp and crunch you're looking for - keep them out of the fridge.

No sealed plastic bags

Potatoes need to breathe. The paper bag they arrive in is perfect.

Keep away from onions

Storing onions and potatoes together makes both deteriorate faster.

Shelf life

Fresh potatoes at the start of the season can keep for up to around 4 weeks in ideal conditions.

If it has a green tinge

Greening comes from light exposure and happens to any variety. Cut the green away generously and cook the rest; if it runs throughout, discard it.

When your order arrives

Open the box straight away and move the potatoes somewhere cool and dark. Minor transit marks are normal for fresh produce and don't affect flavour or quality.

C o o k i n g   M e t h o d s   &   P r e p a r a t i o n


The signature method and the way most Tasmanians will tell you to eat it. Cover whole, skin on potatoes with cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook until just tender, around 15 to 20 minutes depending on size. Drain, add butter and a little salt, and serve. Simple, sweet and exactly right.


Roast whole at 200C for around 30 to 35 minutes in olive oil and salt, with a little thyme if you like. The skin lightly crisps while the yellow flesh stays creamy and sweet inside. For a shattering crunch you want a starchy roaster like Maris Piper.


Boil whole until just tender, then dress while warm so the flesh takes on the flavour. The natural sweetness sits beautifully alongside soft herbs, a squeeze of lemon and good olive oil.


Steam whole, skin on, for around 15 to 20 minutes until just tender. This keeps the natural sweetness in the flesh and suits Pink Eye's creamy, buttery character. Finish simply with butter and a little salt.


Do not peel. The thin skin and its pink eyes are part of the character, so a gentle scrub is all that is needed and the eyes can stay exactly where they are. Cook whole wherever possible to keep that sweetness in the flesh rather than the cooking water. Handle gently, as new season skins mark more readily. If any green tinge appears, trim it away before cooking.


Treat this heritage favourite gently, the way its fans always have. Keep it somewhere cool and dark, a pantry or cupboard away from sunlight, where light cannot trigger greening and warmth cannot rush sprouting. Do not refrigerate, since cold turns the potato's starch to sugar and works against the natural sweetness that makes Pink Eye worth the wait. Skip sealed plastic, since potatoes need air, so the paper bag they arrive in does the job, and keep them clear of onions, which make both spoil faster. As a freshly dug new season variety, Pink Eye keeps a little less time than a stored potato, so eat within around ten days of delivery for the best of that sweet, buttery flavour. If you spot a green tinge, cut it away generously and cook the rest as usual. When your order arrives, open the box promptly and move the potatoes to a cool, dark spot, a few transit marks are normal on fresh, thin skinned produce.

STOCK UP NOW

D o n ' t   g e t   c a u g h t   s h o r t

 

Planning ahead? Order online and have it at your door in a week. Buying a couple of kilos now means you won't get caught short when you want to make a standout potato dish worth talking about.

 
FIND A MARKET
 

Trust us, it's worth ordering before you need it!

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