Hot potato

To your roster of historic and colorful rhizomes (Russets, White Rose, Blue Victor, Yukon Gold, Yellow Finn, Red Ruby...Cascade, Nooksack, Ontario, Seminole) you can now add the Ozette. It's a fingerling grown for centuries in the gardens of Makah Indians on Washington's most western coastline, brought there, it's believed, by Spanish conquistadors who had discovered all manner of edible tubers in the South American Andes.

Thus the humble Ozette was in all likelihood the first potato to reach the Pacific coast of North America; now it's coming to a dinner table near you. Thanks to a coalition of farmers, chefs and food historians, it's been given "heritage" status, and, for the next few weeks, you'll find Ozettes on the menu at Stumbling Goat Bistro, Palace Kitchen, Portage Bay Café, Sitka & Spruce, Eva, Lark, Tilth and Ferrara Ristorante on Vashon. Even at Le Gourmand, which has no website. Retail? Look for Ozettes at the Ballard and U-District Farmers Markets.

Over 75% of our spuds these days are genetically engineered Russet Burbanks, two-thirds of which go into frozen fries (freedom!); fortunately, there's still a taste for entries like the ungainly Ozette, with its firm, waxy texture and nutty, earthy flavor. Its champion, Gerry Warren of the Seattle chapter of SlowFood USA, presented the Ozette's story to the Salone del Gusto in Torino last month as part of its mission to support, sustain and celebrate the diversity of regional food traditions. It may be just a lowly potato, but it's part of who we are.

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