Red Pontiac

The Red Pontiac (also known as Dakota Chief) is a red-skinned early main crop potato variety originally bred in the United States,^[1] and is sold in the United States, Canada, Australia, Marruecos, the Philippines, Venezuela and Uruguay. It arose as a color mutant of the original Pontiac variety in Florida^[2] by a J.W. Weston in 1945.^[3] It was registered by the USDA in 1983.^[3] The original Pontiac itself was a hybrid of varieties "Triumph" and "Katahdin" and released in the US in 1938 and Australia in 1940.^[4]

Potato 'Red Pontiac'
Genus	Solanum
Species	Solanum tuberosum
Hybrid parentage	'Pontiac' × unknown
Cultivar	'Red Pontiac'
Origin	Florida, USA

The plants are large and spreading with angled stems and large light purple flowers. The potatoes are deep-eyed and round with dark red skin and white waxy flesh,^[5] though can be knobbly if soil moisture is uneven.^[3] The skin colour can fade significantly, leaving only the eyes as red.^[4]

Cooking

It can be used in recipes for baking, boiling, mashing, roasting or in salads, and can be cooked in a microwave oven.^[5] It is not so suitable for frying.^[1][4] Red potatoes may be cooked with the skin on, and should be scrubbed and rinsed before preparation.^[6]