Modern commercial apple varieties universally feature thin skins, but many of the best tasting apple varieties have rough, potato-like skins. They are called "russets". The russets have been cultivated not for their surface appearance but in spite of it; beneath the rough exterior the flesh is richly flavored often with a spicey quality, and the texture is robust. Like many of the russets we tasted, the texture and flavor of the fall russet reminded us of a pear.
Fall Russet