What size potatoes do you want?

There's something satisfying about having a great big single potato for baked and covered in goodies. But I grow most of our potatoes and that's not mostly what comes out of the ground. And it never struck me as a problem. I *love* potato skins, so I like that the smaller the tuber, the higher is the ratio of skin to insides. My mom always said the skin if the nutritious part, but checking the research, it seems a little overstated. On the other hand, antioxidants and obscure phytonutrients do concentrate there and that's my biggest nutritional concern, so maybe it's a partly fair claim. I suppose maybe the skin to inside ratio also means shorter time spent washing the tubers before cooking per unit of foodstuff, but I also like cooking tiny little potatoes uncut -- just rolling around in the skillet.

Anyway, I just saw someone talk about changing their growing conditions to get bigger tubers and it hadn't ever occurred to me to make that a goal. So I decided to see what you all think about it.

Big tubers or little? And any difference between your perspective in the field vs in the kitchen?

ETA: Or maybe for cellar storage? (I haven't noticed a difference...some tubers rot and maybe spoil adjacent tubers too, but small vs large doesn't seem to make a difference.

I am happy to get any size potato.

The last time I grew potatoes, I got fingerlings.

New potatoes are nice for cooking with green beans.

Nice big bakers are usually cut in half to split with dear hubby.

You know, I'm not so sure I know what size potatoes that I want! I'm so used to just dealing with the spuds that I am handed that I haven't put much thought into it.

Small potatoes (fingerlings) get done up as is usually baked. While I do love my large sized potatoes for anything that requires peeling, I'm just as happy working with medium size ones because it is generally just two people eating at my house.

Maybe I should say I prefer egg size potatoes because those are usually my seed potato stock.

I'm going to have to chew on this question more.

I rather like to see big ones because they’re easy to work with, but the fingerlings are cold hardier—they overwinter better than the others.

I do the cooking in the house so from a meal prep perspective, the big tubers are easier to get cleaned and fewer of them needed to make a meal.  That said, I personally like 'new' potatoes (small) as the OP noted....rolling around in a skillet with shallow water to cook and finished with butter and parsley.  We like easting skins and all and that makes growing them yourself a plus since commercial stocks tend to use a fair amount of chemicals to inhibit sprouting during storage.  In a rare twist this year, only saw one Colorado potato beetle so the crop grew well, got plenty of water, and is actually ready for harvest now.....looking forward to a good root cellar stock for winter!

Also, from the November 1945 issue of the American Potato Journal:

"Effect of planting depth on yield and tuber set of potatoes

Summary

The results of three years’ depth-of-planting tests with potatoes grown at Shafter on a light sandy soil and of two years’ tests at Davis on a heavy silt loam soil are presented. All comparisons were made when the top of the seed piece was planted 2, 4, 6, and 9 inches below the surface of the ridge.

Four and 6-inch plantings produced higher total yields than did the 9-inch. The total yields from the 2-inch planting were only slightly lower than for the 4- or 6-inch; but the yield of marketable tubers was much lower, because of sunburn.

The percentage of sunburned tubers became less as the planting depth was increased up to 6 inches. The 9-inch plantings differed only slightly from the 6-inch.

The number of tubers per hill became smaller as the depth of planting was increased.

Size of tuber increased along with the depth of planting.

Depth of tuber set also increased with depth of planting. Most tubers tended to develop immediately above the seed piece.

When there was sufficient moisture the plants from shallow plantings tended to emerge first."

All of 'em. If I'm making potato salad, roasted root veggies, boiled-then-chilled (for snacking & resistant starch, or 2x cooked (first baked, boiled, or steamed then smashed to about half their original thickness, then deep fried), I'm looking for 'new' or fingerling (both babies - one is shaped like little fingers). If I want baked, twice baked, or fries, I'm looking for russet. If I'm boiling them to mash, I want the red or yukon gold 'waxy' type. Which means, in the garden, I want 'em ALL!