July 14, 2026 – Ann is in OurLittleCorner today

Potatoes in the Sky

Let’s make this perfectly clear. I wanted to blog about potatoes in the sky way before Andy started his potato blog! I was inspired by this 2026 article from the NYTimes about a mystery potato shape which was spotted hovering over Cheyenne Mountain (just SW of Colorado Springs) in 2022. Among the comments made about the article, one person asked if it was a “Russet, Burbank, or Yukon Gold?” Another suggested it was “food for thought;” and still another suggested the whole thing was “half-baked!” Potatoes in the sky must just inspire witticism.

The article doesn’t mention that Cheyenne Mountain is home to “a declassified Cold War bunker and active military installation….Situated beneath 2,000 feet of granite, it serves as the Alternate Command Center for NORAD and USNORTHCOM, featuring heavily fortified blast doors and shock-absorbed buildings designed to withstand nuclear attack” (from Wikipedia). Below is a fascinating look at this bunker’s construction – which happened during the four years I attended college nearby.

Is it possible that aliens were using that potato-esque object to spy on our military operations inside Cheyenne Mountain?

Though the internet seems to be filled with alien-related stories at the moment, I’m much more motivated to write about potatoes and potato recipes than I am to investigate potato-esque sightings. And Andy is way more interested in growing potatoes.

I can’t believe BigLittleMeals has never published a potato salad recipe, especially after the NYTimes just posted this article from Wesley Morris – “Potato Salad Is the Best, Most American Dish We Have” (I’m wondering…would aliens like our American potato salad?). It’s been almost 25 years since the cookbook Chez Silas was self-published, in honor of our 3-month-old grandson. In Chez Silas is my favorite potato salad recipe – from his Auntie Alyssa.

You’ll note that Alyssa suggests using red potatoes, not the Yukon Gold that has seemed to outshine red potatoes today in the U.S., and certainly not Russet potatoes, which now seem almost prehistoric (I don’t believe we’ve had a Russet for 20+ years).

I think a brief update on Yukon Gold potatoes is necessary. I did a little googling recently – when I felt like Yukon Golds weren’t tasting like they used to, and my taste buds didn’t lead me astray. I found a November 2025 article from SeriousEats which reports, “Yukon Golds aren’t just quietly disappearing—they’re being pushed aside. Growers across the US and Canada have largely stopped planting them, citing low yields, disease susceptibility, and poor storage performance. Meanwhile, a growing roster of European yellow-fleshed varieties has taken over fields and supermarket shelves. They’re more productive, resilient, and far more profitable.” These are some of the unfamiliar names of these varieties:  Colomba, Soraya, Natascha, and Golden Globe. And apparently, grocers aren’t anxious to let you know that the gold potatoes you’re about to buy aren’t necessarily Yukon Gold. Buyer beware!

Because Aunt Alyssa’s recipe is a little short on the specifics, our recipe today will fill that in. And we’re following Alyssa’s suggestion and using red potatoes. At our Sonoma market I found a bag of cute little potatoes labeled “Ruby Sensation.” If you want more help with picking out specific potato varieties, I recommend this helpful page on PotatoGoodness.com. And if you think “potatoes in the sky” are just pie in the sky, I’d tend to agree. But I’m still a little fixated on aliens.