Skin Game

Recently here, we polled you on this burning question of the day: "How do you feel about potato skins on french fries and in mashed potatoes?" The poll's over and I must admit the results kinda surprised me. The polling software seems to have screwed up in reporting the total number who voted for each choice but I think the percentages are correct. Here they are…

  • Like it on fries, don't like it in mashed potatoes: 23%
  • Like it in mashed potatoes, don't like on fries: 4%
  • Like it on both: 32%
  • Don't like it on either: 22%
  • Either way, doesn't matter: 19%

I was expecting more folks to vote against skins on their taters. As it turns out when you do the math, 55% of you like potato skins on french fries versus 26% who don't…and 36% of you like skins in your mashed potatoes versus 45% who don't. 19% of you swing both ways. (I've heard that about 19% of you.)

I was expecting skins to do worse and maybe in another sampling, they would. But if these percentages are typical, skin on fries and in mashed potatoes doesn't bother as many people as I thought. One correspondent did tell me the following reason he likes skins in his mashers: "It's how I know I'm eating freshly-made mashed potatoes and not a mix." That doesn't strike me as a good reason but then I don't think there is a good reason. Thanks to all who voted. I'll try to make the next poll about something less world-changing.