Tasmanian Bismark Potatoes

The thing to understand about Tasmanian Bismark is that it is here, and then it is gone. New season Bismark lands for a short window each year, and the difference between a freshly dug new season spud and one that has spent months in storage is night and day. The skin is so thin it barely exists, and the flavour leans genuinely sweet and buttery in a way that fades the longer a potato is kept.

This is a variety that rewards doing less. There is no need to peel it, no need to dress it up. Boil it gently in salted water, finish with a knob of butter, and let the freshness speak. We ship Bismark from Tasmania to Melbourne in a matter of days specifically to protect that just dug character, treating new season varieties as the small, fleeting luxuries they are.

A medium Bismark 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 waxy variety develops resistant starch that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Its creamy flesh points to carotenoids, the same antioxidant family found in carrots, and its low starch gives a lower glycaemic response than starchy varieties, for slower, more sustained energy. It is naturally low in fat, it is the butter and oil we add, not the potato, that changes the picture.

Grown in Tasmania, and dug fresh during its short season before being shipped straight to Melbourne in days. There is no long stint in cold storage here, which is exactly the point. A new season potato is only worth eating when it still tastes new.

Tasmanian Bismark is in season from December to March, the summer window when this new season variety is dug fresh.

The signature method, and the one that shows Bismark off. 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. Test with a skewer for a little resistance. Drain, finish with butter and salt, and serve.

Boil whole and skin on until just tender, then dress while still warm so the flesh absorbs the flavour. The sweet, buttery character pairs beautifully with dill, lemon and a good olive oil.

Roast whole at 200C for around 30 to 35 minutes in olive oil and salt. Expect a lightly crisped thin skin and a sweet, creamy interior rather than a fluffy crunch. For a properly crunchy roast you want a starchy variety like Maris Piper.

Steam whole, skin on, for around 15 to 20 minutes until just tender. This keeps the sweetness concentrated in the flesh and suits Bismark's delicate, paper thin skin well. Finish simply with butter and salt.

Do not peel. The skin is paper thin and part of the pleasure, so a gentle scrub is all it needs. Handle carefully, as new season skins mark and bruise more easily than stored potatoes. Cook whole wherever possible to keep the sweetness in the potato rather than in the water. If any green tinge appears, trim it away before cooking.

New season potatoes ask for a little more care than the stored kind, so handle these gently. Keep them somewhere cool and dark, like a pantry or cupboard out of direct sunlight, where light cannot cause greening and warmth cannot speed up sprouting. Do not refrigerate, since cold converts the potato's starch to sugar and undoes the very sweetness that makes Bismark special. Avoid sealed plastic, since potatoes need to breathe, so the paper bag they arrive in is ideal, and keep them away from onions, which make both spoil faster. Because the skin is paper thin and freshly dug, new season Bismark keeps a week or so less than a stored variety, so eat within around ten days of delivery for the best of it. If you spot a green tinge, cut it away generously and cook the rest as normal. When your order arrives, open the box straight away and move the potatoes to a cool, dark spot, the thin skin marks easily, so a few transit marks are perfectly normal.