La Ratte Potatoes
OUT OF SEASON

La Ratte Potatoes

La Ratte is a beautiful French fingerling with creamy, waxy flesh and an exceptionally rich flavour. Small, knobbly and full of character, it’s delicious simply boiled and buttered, tossed through a warm salad or roasted whole. Grown around Ballarat in very limited quantities, it’s one of those specialty potatoes people ask us about again and again.

JanuaryJuneDecember
LowMediumHigh
$8.50 Per Kilo

Prices in AUD. Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Enter your email address below to be notified when this product is back in stock.

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

La Ratte can also make an exceptionally rich, creamy purée despite being a waxy potato. This is one of the variety's famous uses and is worth retaining. La Ratte is famously associated with the extraordinarily rich pomme purée of French chef Joël Robuchon. Its dense, creamy flesh lends itself to a silky style of mash or purée when cooked gently and worked carefully with butter and milk.

Its small fingerling shape makes La Ratte excellent roasted whole. Leave the skin on, toss in oil and salt and roast until golden. The outside develops colour while the centre remains creamy and dense.

This is one of the simplest and best ways to enjoy La Ratte. Cook whole and skin on until tender, then finish with butter and salt. The waxy flesh holds together beautifully and the rich flavour means it doesn't need much added to it.

Boil whole until tender, halve while still warm and dress straight away. The waxy flesh holds its shape and takes a dressing beautifully.

The thin skin can be left on for boiling, salads and roasting, with a gentle scrub usually all that's needed. The small, knobbly and irregular shape is completely characteristic of La Ratte and part of its appeal. Handle them gently, as this is a delicate specialty variety.


Store in a cool, dark and ventilated spot such as a pantry or cupboard, treating La Ratte with more care than most varieties in the range. Do not refrigerate, since cold temperatures convert starch to sugar and affect the distinctive chestnut flavour more noticeably here than in any other variety. Use within 1 to 2 weeks, as La Ratte has a shorter shelf life and is best eaten close to harvest. Keep in the paper bag rather than sealed plastic, and handle gently, since the thin skin bruises more easily than thicker skinned varieties. Check the golden skin for any green tinge before cooking and cut away generously if found. When your order arrives, unpack gently and move it straight to a cool, dark spot. The irregular, knobbly shape is characteristic of La Ratte and not a quality issue.

A b o u t   L a   R a t t e   P o t a t o e s

La Ratte takes its name from its shape, the small, elongated fingerling that French growers in the Lyonnais and Ardèche regions nicknamed after the rat when it first appeared in the late nineteenth century. It was never an easy variety to grow: low yielding, delicate and hand harvested, and by the mid twentieth century it had nearly disappeared. In 1962, a single surviving plant was found and regenerated at Le Touquet by grower André Hennuyer, and the entire modern La Ratte supply traces back to that one plant.

La Ratte is one of those potatoes people remember. A classic French fingerling with creamy yellow flesh, a waxy texture and an incredibly rich flavour, it has earned a devoted following both overseas and here in Australia. We only get our hands on a very limited Ballarat-grown harvest each season, and it's a variety customers regularly ask us about when it disappears. Its small, knobbly shape may be unmistakably rustic, but the flavour is anything but ordinary. For us, La Ratte is exactly the kind of potato worth championing: distinctive, exceptionally tasty and difficult to find.

La Ratte is a heritage French fingerling dating back to the late nineteenth century. Known for its distinctive elongated, knobbly shape and rich flavour, the variety became particularly celebrated in French cooking and is famously associated with chef Joël Robuchon, who used La Ratte for his renowned pomme purée. Today it remains a sought-after specialty potato and can be difficult to find outside its relatively small seasonal harvests.

Grown around Ballarat, Victoria, in very limited quantities. La Ratte is a specialty variety with a small seasonal harvest, so availability can be brief and varies from year to year.

La Ratte is in season from April to June, the short window when this delicate French fingerling is at its best.

H e a r   f r o m   o u r   c u s t o m e r s

My favorite potato! These blue moons are brilliant for roasting so crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. All they need is 35 mins sliced and they are perfect.

Christina K
VERIFIED USER
Blue Moon Potatoes
Blue Moon Potatoes

These potatoes were brilliant for wedges. I par boiled them and cooked them in the oven with just a drizzle of olive oil. I left the skin on them and they were rated very highly by my kids!

Gabrielle H.
VERIFIED USER
Maris Piper Potatoes
Maris Piper Potatoes

Haven’t used these potatoes before but pretty impressed. Made a very decent deep fried chips (nearly as good as a Yukon gold) , baked up well in my leek and potato bake. Absolutely worth trying if you get in fast.

Yolanda H.
VERIFIED USER
Blue Moon Potatoes
Blue Moon Potatoes

These are the best potatoes I have ever cooked with. I made Purple Gnocchi. Do easy!!!!! So tasty!!!!! So pretty on the plate!!!!! Thankyou Spud Sistets

Liesl W.
VERIFIED USER
Purple Sapphire Potatoes
Purple Sapphire Potatoes

I purchased some Maris Piper Potatoes from Spud Sisters after trying for a little while to find somewhere that sells them and has available stock. Spud Sisters were very efficient and I not only received my order promptly but it was also in beautiful well protected packaging which showed me this company really cares about its products and customers. I highly recommend this company if you are after fresh potatoes with very respectful and honest customer service.

Amy T.
VERIFIED USER
Maris Piper Potatoes
Maris Piper Potatoes

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 are used in restaurant kitchens across Australia, from leading fine dining restaurants to some of the country's most respected chefs. They choose Spud Sisters for specialist varieties, consistent quality and potatoes selected for the way they cook.

The same potatoes we supply to professional kitchens are the ones we send to your door. You're cooking with exactly the same quality trusted by the chefs we work with every week.

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

Majority of our varieties occasionally appears at good green grocers and farmers markets, but stock is often inconsistent and is rarely, if ever, 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.

Explore Markets

CARE GUIDE

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 or a breathable container.

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.

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. 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.

 
FIND A MARKET
 

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