TACOMA — “Would you like fries with that?”
For Washington State University potato researchers the answer is always yes.
Nobody in the world buys more potatoes than McDonald’s. So it’s a big deal when the fast-food giant deems a new spud worthy of a ketchup dunking in its 36,615 restaurants worldwide.
In September, Ronald and friends added two new russet potato varieties — Clearwater Russet and Blazer Russet — developed in part by WSU professors in Pullman.
Potato researchers Rick Knowles and Mark Pavek are the french-fried masterminds behind the spuds.
“McDonald’s has expert tasters, kind of like with fine wine,” said horticulture professor Knowles. “Their gold standard potato for french fries is a Russet Burbank, which makes a great fry but is really inefficient from a production standpoint.”
The WSU researchers worked with colleagues from the University of Idaho, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon State University on the new potatoes. The Clearwater Russet comes with a bonus: 33 percent more protein than Burbank.
Seed production for the two new russets has been ramped up. That’s good for the program as it earns royalties on varieties it develops.
