Golden Wonder...... Scotland's favourite tattie

Bred over 100 years ago, in Scotland by a Mr. Brown of Arbroath "Golden Wonder" has to be the very best potato for roasting and chipping. Don't try to boil it, it will just turn to mush. It is a "floury" type of tattie, at the other end of the potato spectrum the varieties are "waxy" like your supermarket salad potatoes "Belle de Fontenay". They are best for boiling.

Russet skinned Golden Wonder

Last week I was given a small bag of Golden Wonder in perfect condition, they keep well through the winter and the flavour is supposed to improve with keeping.Now, you may have noticed that many of my blog posts coincide with really nasty weather, outside the wind is howling and rain is battering the kitchen windows. It's a day for blogging and cooking.

Golden Wonder are not easy to find in these days of Supermarket food mediocrity but you can still buy seed and elderly dwellers in deep rural Scotland (Crofters for example) still seem able to find them.

If you are going to cook this great variety you need a recipe to match. Here goes:

Boil tatties until cooked but be careful not to over do it, they will disintegrate.
Allow to cool slightly then roll in flour seasoned with salt and pepper until coated all over.
Place carefully in a roasting tin containing really hot goose fat, coat them with the fat
Place in a hot oven (200 C) until golden.
Drain on kitchen paper and place in warming draw until the roast wether mutton is ready.

If you don't have a mutton roast just eat them on their own....... superb.