Blackwood Gold Potatoes

Not every great potato has a famous name. Blackwood Gold is one of those varieties that earns its reputation quietly, through what it does in the oven rather than what it says on paper. Among the Spud Sisters team, it sits in the same conversation as Maris Piper and Fontane when the question is which potato to reach for on a Sunday afternoon. That's high praise from people who think about this for a living.

As a starchy variety, Blackwood Gold has the dry matter content that produces the result every home cook is actually after from a roast potato: a crust that holds under pressure, and a centre that's genuinely light and fluffy rather than dense or gluey. It goes into a hot oiled tray and comes out golden. It works in the air fryer without any tricks. And perhaps less obviously, it breaks down beautifully in a blended soup, the starch produces a naturally thick, smooth result without needing cream to compensate.

It's not the flashiest variety in the range. There's no 6,000 year backstory behind it. What it has is consistency, performance, and the kind of reliable quality that makes you reach for it again the following week.

Starchy potatoes have a slightly higher GI than waxy varieties when eaten hot - but this drops significantly when cooled, due to the resistant starch conversion. 

Cold leftover Blackwood Gold roast potatoes are, nutritionally, a different proposition to hot ones. Worth knowing if you're mindful of blood sugar management.

Grown in our family farm in Ballarat Victoria or sourced from our community of local growers, harvested in season and dispatched fresh.

Blackwood Gold offers complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, digesting more slowly than refined carbohydrates. A medium potato provides a meaningful serve of potassium for healthy blood pressure, along with vitamin C, especially when baked or steamed, and vitamin B6 for energy metabolism and brain function. It is naturally gluten free, and cooked and cooled, it develops resistant starch that feeds beneficial gut bacteria and lowers the glycaemic response of the meal.

Parboil cut pieces in salted water for 10–12 minutes. Add a pinch of bicarb soda to the boiling water (quarter teaspoon for a small pot) — this roughens the surface and gives the oil more to grip, which is what produces a proper crust. Drain well, steam-dry in the pot, then toss in good oil and season generously. Roast at 200–210°C on a preheated tray with hot oil — place the potatoes in carefully, cut-side down where possible, and let them sizzle. Turn once at the halfway mark. About an hour total for a good-sized cut.

The result: a genuinely crispy exterior with a light, fluffy centre.

Blackwood Gold is one of the better starchy varieties for the air fryer. Parboil briefly (8–10 minutes), drain and steam-dry, then air fry at 200°C for 20–25 minutes, shaking halfway. You'll get a similar result to oven roasting in significantly less time and with better heat circulation.

This is Blackwood Gold's lesser-known talent. As a starchy variety, it breaks down smoothly under heat and produces a naturally thick, silky blended soup without the gluey texture you can get from waxy potatoes. Simply cook in stock until very tender, then blend. No cream required - though a little doesn't hurt.

Cut into thick wedges or chip shapes, toss in oil and season, and roast at 210°C for 35–45 minutes. The starchy flesh gives you a crispy exterior and a dry, fluffy interior - the combination that makes a proper chip worth eating.

Pierce the skin, rub with oil and salt, and bake whole at 200°C for 60–75 minutes. The starchy flesh produces a genuinely fluffy baked interior - split it open and it falls apart cleanly.

Not the primary use case, but Blackwood Gold mashes to a light, fluffy result rather than a creamy one. If you want creamy and dense, Dutch Cream is the better choice. If you want light and voluminous, Blackwood Gold holds its own.