Expert: Which potatoes to buy - white or red

Sergey Pastukhov, agronomist-seed grower of the Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev:

“At the Timiryazev Academy we are engaged in the experimental production of seed material for planting.
We specialize in Russian varieties, which is rare, because large-scale production is now dominated by foreign varieties. Russians occupy at most 10% of the area in large farms. They are more concentrated in private farms - among small farmers and gardeners. Therefore, the first thing you need to remember about potatoes is that you should look for Russian varieties from private traders on the market; in supermarkets it’s mostly foreign ones. This division is due to the fact that our seed production system collapsed and selection switched to small producers. When there is no large-scale seed production, it makes sense to transfer products grown in small laboratories and agricultural firms only to gardeners. And for large-scale production, potatoes are purchased abroad, because foreign varieties are beautiful, technologically advanced, withstand mechanical harvesting well and are stored well. In addition, many of them are suitable for industrial processing - into chips or French fries.

Which potatoes are suitable for frying?

Some chefs argue that the varieties that contain the least starch are suitable for frying: the pieces should retain their shape when they are mercilessly mixed in a frying pan. Others are convinced that starch molecules help the formation of a golden brown crust, and the dense pulp prevents the oil from absorbing too deeply.

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Manufacturers of chips and French fries have high requirements: potatoes must be easily bruised, not darken, and must be stored for a long time, preferably until the next harvest. For this, we need either early starchy varieties, or mid-season, but very long-lasting varieties, in order to close all the gaps in supplies that occur closer to spring.

There are practically no domestic varieties that can adequately withstand such processing. It takes a lot of money and time to create them. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, our breeders fell out of the work process for a long time. Let's say they have developed such varieties for production - but in order to test their samples, they need industrial lines, albeit small ones: preliminary tests can be carried out, for example, using a regular deep fryer - but then they will still need something larger. In addition, testing new samples takes a long time, and special storage conditions for the tested potatoes must be created so that they can then be properly prepared; Domestic breeders do not have such working conditions.

In the markets you sometimes find potatoes that contain a lot of starch, but they do not boil soft: these are mainly chip varieties that rarely go on sale. The taste qualities of such potatoes can be very different. For example, there is this variety “Saturn”: the potatoes have a lot of starch, but they don’t boil at all and taste like wood. And there is the “Lady Claire” variety, which, although specially invented for chips, boils noticeably better; and its structure is more pleasant, and many people like the taste - it melts in the mouth like butter.

Simple red

Simple red refers to varieties that ripen later than usual. The average ripening period for simple red is 82-87 days. Fruit with pink or reddish skin. The pulp inside the fruit is light in color.

Advantages

• Starch content 19%.
• When cooked, the tubers do not become soft, so this type is also suitable for frying and making French fries.
• Simple Red has an excellent, delicate fruit taste.
• With proper care, potatoes can be stored for a long time.
• Productivity 250-400 c/g.

Romano potatoes are considered an early and abundantly productive variety. It fits well in any season and is preserved throughout the long winter period. Romano is resistant to common diseases and viruses at an average level of indicator. It can be more traumatic from ordinary scab, so it is necessary to carry out additional treatment for this infection.

Advantages

The Romano variety will delight you with productivity

• Stable yield percentage.
• The peel is well preserved when stored for a long time.
• The fruits are a beautiful red-violet hue, with white flesh.

Romano potatoes are planted in soil warmed by sunlight at a temperature of at least 15 degrees.

The Rocco variety differs from other types of potatoes in its visual appeal, as it has a pronounced red color of the tubers. Rocco is classified as a medium-early ripening type. Approximately 95% of marketable tubers are obtained from one bush. It is recommended to store potatoes mainly in the cold season, since they germinate quickly at warm temperatures. Vegetable growers advise planting this variety in warm and fertilized soil. To get a good result, it is not recommended to injure the vegetable or break off its sprouts. Rocco has a high percentage of resistance to infectious vegetable diseases. Loves moist soil, which must be maintained throughout growth from the moment the tubers appear.

Related article: Potato variety “Mustang” - description and photo

Advantages

• The shape of the fruit is oval.
• The Rocco variety is unpretentious to climatic conditions.
• The variety is resistant to various diseases.

According to available data, the yield level reaches 400 c/ha. Rocco is mainly chosen by sellers for retail trade.

Picasso potatoes are a variety of tubers with high yields. It is considered a mid-late vegetable obtained from Dutch selection. Has a great need for fertilized soils. The potato bush stands out for its long trunk and abundant white flowering.

Advantages

• It preserves its fruits in their original form for a long time, preserving their taste and healing properties.
• The tuber has an oval shape and is easy to clean.
• The Picasso species is resistant to common diseases.

Externally, the potato is yellow-red in color with red splashes mainly in the eye area. Approximately 95% of the marketable product is obtained from the bush.

It is worth noting an equally tasty type of potato, zdabytak, which is popular in the central region of Russia. The variety is externally round in shape, the standard fruit size is up to 130 grams. The pulp is white. The outer side has small but frequent eyes.

This variety can be stored for a whole year

In appearance, the plant is similar to the following varieties:

Advantages

• If you store the fruits in a suitable room and several varieties of potatoes at once, then the type of fruit will last for a whole year without spoiling.
• With proper planting and regular care, the plant produces a bountiful harvest.

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In Europe, varieties for frying are more common, but in our country - for boiling. When the first European varieties appeared in Russia in the nineties, the population did not immediately like them. Many foreign varieties are poorly cooked, and therefore unsuitable for puree, which upsets the Russian consumer: it is important for us that the potatoes are crumbly. True, potatoes with a high starch content may be too dry, since the starch absorbs water, but when mashing potatoes from these varieties, you just need to add more butter and milk. We're used to it, it's delicious for us.

In Soviet times, the vast majority of our potatoes were white - both skin and pulp, and there were few varieties with pink skin and red eyes. Buyers are still guided by this, although in fact the color of the peel and pulp does not affect the taste in any way.

Nowadays varieties with purple colored flesh are gaining popularity. The purple color comes from anthocyanins, similar to those found in beets. When potatoes began to spread around the world, this striking characteristic was not particularly taken care of, and it became unimportant, but is now valued because purple varieties are especially rich in vitamins and antioxidants.

Peter's mystery

The Peter's riddle variety grows well in the northwestern part of Russia and is a medium ripening variety (80-95 days). Intended for table use, starch content 10-12.5%. The fruits are adapted for excessively wet and cold soils. In Russia, the Peter's riddle variety is the most common among all available varieties, due to its versatility and resistance to variable climates. The shape of the fruit is oblong. The top layer of the peel is pink. The inside is creamy pink.

Advantages

• In preparation, this type of fruit is often combined with various types of meat and vegetables. Suitable for any dishes, as it has a sweetish taste.
• The yield percentage is 300 c/ha.
• Grows well in any conditions.

When preparing fruits for planting, you need to consider the following feature. In the spring, when preparing seed, tubers from storage should be taken unsprouted. It is best to germinate them a little before planting, so that the tubers have short and strong sprouts. Tubers that have grown long sprouts over the winter are categorically unacceptable for sowing the variety Peter's riddle. It is also impossible to break off or damage the sprouts of the seed.

If you follow the correct technology for planting this type of potato, you can reap a bountiful and high-quality harvest.

The Rodrigo variety ripens in 70-85 days and is a mid-late species. Productivity per hundred square meters is 450 kg. Rodrigo is a type of potato with red skin and yellow or white flesh. One fruit can weigh up to 800 grams with proper care. The Rodrigo variety has no disadvantages, as it is suitable for growing in any climate and on any soil. Rodrigo is best purchased by those gardeners who want to get a bountiful harvest at minimal cost, as well as by those who live in the north of Russia.

Advantages

• Smooth fruits with a minimum number of eyes are excellent for mechanical cleaning.
• Rodrigo can be used for boiling, frying and making French fries.
• Externally, dark red tubers look very beautiful.

The description states that the Ramona variety has red skin and white-yellow flesh. Ripens in 80-100 days and is a mid-late species. The yield per hundred square meters is small, only 100-150 kg. The Ramon variety is suitable for the south of our country and tolerates heat and persistent drought well. The fruits are oval-shaped, weighing about 70-90 grams. Ramona fruits are suitable for pureeing and frying.

Sources:

https://fermoved.ru/kartofel/krasnye-sorta.html https://proposadki.ru/ovoshhi/sorta-kartofelya https://agrorus.ru/ovoshhi/rasprostranennye-sorta-krasnogo-kartofelia/

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Why do varieties become obsolete? Requirements for processing and appearance are changing. And diseases began to spread more actively. Viral diseases have existed before, but not so aggressive: pathogens evolve. Potatoes of old varieties often quickly become infected with various diseases: in order not to lose yield, fields have to be flooded with chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary to breed and grow potatoes with high resistance against serious diseases. And everyone is already accustomed to the fact that potatoes in the supermarket look good - yellow, red, beautiful - and that they are convenient to peel. Now foreign varieties are noticeably ahead in these indicators.

How to cook potatoes with a golden crust?

A golden brown crust is the dream of all fried potato lovers. How to get a crispy barrel on the slices, and not a crushed mass?

Let's look at a step-by-step plan for how to fry potatoes in a frying pan with a golden crust:

1. For frying, it is best to use thick-walled frying pans with a large bottom. Material: cast iron, heavy steel. You won't get tasty potatoes on non-stick coatings. Choosing the right frying pan is the first step to crispy slices.
2. The pieces should be the same size, not thin, otherwise they will burn and dry out, and not thick (they will be half-baked). If the potatoes contain a lot of starch, they can be kept cut in water for about 30 minutes.
3. In order for the slices to brown, they need to be dried before frying. To do this, the cut pieces are thrown onto any towel - fabric or paper. Dry carefully and ventilate in air.
4. The oil is poured into the frying pan and heated, avoiding smoke. After lowering a test slice, the oil should begin to boil.
5. One of the most important points for a successful result is that the potatoes should lie in a thin layer in the pan - 3-4 slices. If the layer is thick, it will take a long time to fry the entire volume; you will have to stir frequently. Part will remain pale, pieces will break.
6. Pour the dried cubes into the heated oil. Reduce heat to slightly less than medium. Turn the mixture over when the bottom layer begins to brown. You only need to stir the dish when the bottom layer is browning. Only 4-5 times per cooking.
7. If there are still a lot of potatoes, after 2-3 stirrings you should cover the pan with a lid, not very tightly. Closer to readiness, remove the lid and finish frying without it.
8. Salt the potatoes already ready, 2-3 minutes before they are ready before the last stirring. It is better to take fine salt so that it dissolves better. Early introduction of salt deforms the pieces of root vegetables and prevents them from roasting well.

How long to fry the potatoes depends on the height of the layer and the use of the lid. If everything is done according to the recommendations, it will take about 25 minutes.

The finished vegetable is eaten immediately after cooking, at home, often from a frying pan. Repeated heating greatly degrades the taste, the pieces become gray instead of golden, and the smell changes.

How to deliciously fry potatoes in a frying pan - video from Ilya Lazerson:

Adding additional ingredients to fried potatoes allows you to change the taste, make the dish more satisfying, and turn it into a real lunch or dinner. There are a variety of additions, the most traditional are onions, different types of meat products, and spices.

These additions are especially relevant when the root vegetable does not taste good, which often happens when shopping in supermarkets.

Cooking is carried out according to two main schemes:

1. The ingredients are prepared separately from each other and combined 5-7 minutes before the end of frying - this method is good for beginners.
2. The products are combined raw and fried together. In this case, you need to know the cooking time of each one well, so that they approach readiness together.

Let's look at the best way to fry potatoes with different ingredients.

Fried potatoes with mushrooms

A traditional Russian dish is prepared simply and quickly.

• Potatoes – about 1 kg;
• Mushrooms – 300-400 grams;
• Onions – 2 pieces.

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Mushrooms are cooked first, as their quality does not deteriorate when heated. Wash and dry the mushrooms well, chop if necessary. Place in a saucepan, pour in 2 tablespoons of your favorite oil, salt, evaporate excess moisture, when they start to brown, add chopped onion. Bring to readiness.

In another frying pan, fry the root vegetable cut into small cubes in the manner described above. 3 minutes before the potatoes are ready, when they have already been salted, add mushroom frying. Stir well and heat over low heat for 3-5 minutes.

Potatoes fried with meat

The introduction of meat during frying improves the taste of the root vegetable, making the dish nourishing and tasty.

• meat (pork, chicken, turkey, beef) – 300 grams;
• potatoes – 450 grams;
• onion - 1 piece.

The meat must be pre-cooked - fried, boiled, baked. Cut into pieces the size of potato slices. The meat should not be overdried or tough. A small amount of fat in the slices will greatly improve the taste.

The cooking rules are:

1. Place the chopped root vegetable in a heated frying pan and fry for 10 minutes until half cooked.
2. Add onion and salt and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Add meat and mix.
4. Cook the fried potatoes over low heat until done. Add garlic and other spices to taste.

After cooking, you need to let the dish sit for 5-7 minutes. It is better to remove the lid so that the potatoes do not sweat.

Potatoes fried in lard

Root vegetables cooked in lard have a specific smell. But many consider this particular version of the dish to be ideal. In the cold winter, lard provides long-lasting warmth, food is digested slowly and reliably warms.

• root vegetables – 1 kg;
• lard with a layer – 100-150 g;
• onions - 2 pieces.

Remove the skin from the lard and cut into slices 2-5 mm thick. Place in a dry frying pan and heat. If pieces of lard are undesirable in the finished dish or they are overcooked, remove them with a slotted spoon.

Lard lovers will not remove the pieces. The prepared vegetable slices are poured into boiling fat and fried in the usual way. 7 minutes before readiness, add onion and fry. Garlic, which is placed directly on the plates, goes well with this dish.

Potatoes with onions

Frying potatoes and onions in a frying pan is easy if you know a few little tricks.

The initial frying stage is the same as for simple cooking. The root crop is cleaned, washed, and cut into equal pieces. Dry and place on a heated frying pan.

When 10 minutes remain until the end, add chopped onion. For 1 kg of root vegetables take 1-2 onions.

Basic subtleties of cooking:

1. The heat should be around medium.
2. To prevent the onions from getting raw, you need to cover the dishes with a lid.
3. To avoid burning, stir regularly, as onions burn faster than root vegetables.
4. Note that many housewives prefer to fry the onions separately, bringing them to the desired degree of browning. In this case, the products are combined when ready and stirred until the fire is turned off.

For inexperienced housewives, onions may acquire an unpleasant burnt taste or remain crunchy and half-raw.

Fried jacket potatoes

It is much easier and faster to fry boiled potatoes, which are prepared for salads and left over from a festive feast. It is prepared with or without skin, cut into circles or slices.

Consider a recipe for making delicious fried potatoes.

• New potatoes – 1 kg;
• Onions, carrots - 1 piece each;
• Dill, parsley.

Boil young small potatoes in their skins. Chop the onion, chop the carrots. Fry in a frying pan in vegetable oil.

Lightly press down the finished root vegetables with a knife, place in boiling oil, and brown. Since the product is boiled, you can fry it for a short time. Add the frying mixture on top, stir and heat well together. When serving, sprinkle with chopped herbs.

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Freshly harvested potatoes have better taste than those that have been sitting for a long time. This applies to all varieties, but especially early ones: they are dug up earlier, before the peel gets stronger, young potatoes spoil faster during storage. Potatoes of foreign early varieties are usually stored better than early Russian potatoes, but it is still irrational to buy early potatoes for the winter.

Potatoes breathe during storage. If there is no cellar or artificial cooling system, then in winter potatoes in a warm room will begin to breathe more intensely. At the same time, it loses starch and nutrients and ceases to be crumbly and tasty. The higher the storage temperature, the more intense the respiration and the greater the losses. At low temperatures there is less breathing, but then some of the starch turns into sugar and the potatoes become sweet: this is protection from the cold, sugar works like antifreeze. If you then keep the potatoes at a moderate temperature for a week or two, the starch will regain its properties and the taste will be restored. But if the storage temperature gets too low, the tissue will be damaged, the potatoes will become soft, pink spots will appear - and there is no way to change this.”

Early varieties

Potatoes, which ripen in a short period of time, are divided into 3 more subgroups, namely: ultra- and mid-early, as well as early-ripening.

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Early varieties include the following varieties:

And also Isle of Jura, Evolution, Madeira, Molly, Nandina, Natasha, Uladar, Early Morning, White Rose, Azora, etc.

This is a striking example of potato varieties native to Holland. Impala has a smooth but firm skin and sandy flesh. The eyes are smaller than average, the shape of the potato is large, oval, but sometimes round.

Starch – 12-14%, the weight of one specimen ranges from 95 to 150 g.

Potatoes can be planted in the southern as well as northern regions of Russia.

The Vineta variety of potatoes does not require special care conditions, but is distinctively tasty. It has medium friable pulp that is yellow in color. The fruits are oval, slightly oblong, sometimes round. The weight of one specimen is approximately 75-120 grams, but there are fruits weighing up to 400 grams.

Starch – 12-15%. The color of the skin can range from light brown to dark yellow.

The German variety Karatop is characterized by a round, sometimes oval shape with a thick but smooth skin. The mass of the specimen is approximately 85-140 grams. The pulp is granular in structure and light beige in color. The size of the eyes is small, they are almost invisible.

Starch – 13%. Potatoes are tasty, they are a table variety, but they are often used in industry.

A yellow variety of potato with a similar fruit color in cross section. The specimens are medium in size, weighing approximately 73-145 g. The fruits are usually elongated, oval in shape.

Starch – 11-16%. From one Jewel bush you can collect 15 or 20 tubers. It can be planted in any soil, because the variety does not require special care and is able to grow in central Russia.

This is a variety originally from Holland, distinguished by its taste and dense structure, which does not overcook for a long time. The color of the shell, as well as the fruit, is yellow and light lemon, respectively.

Starch – 11-14%. The average weight of an elongated specimen is approximately 105-130 g.

It is a German variety. Externally, it has an elongated, ellipsoidal shape and a dark yellow peel. The color in the section is golden. The average weight of a specimen is approximately 100 g.

They stand out for their taste and the quality of their pulp, which does not turn black after peeling. Potatoes can be planted in any area with moderate humidity.

A lemon-colored Dutch table variety with elliptical or spherical fruits. The weight of the specimen is approximately 80-130 g. Starch - 11.8-15%.

It has normal taste with minimal crumbling. The color in the section is lemon. It is recommended to plant potatoes only in warm soil.

Unusual delicacy

Yes, potato varieties that are distinguished by the intense purple color of their flesh are considered delicacy. Not only because of their non-standard appearance, but also because of their unusual taste.

It has a pronounced nutty flavor, which, according to fans of gardening experiments, does not spoil this root vegetable at all, on the contrary, it gives it a piquancy.

The unusual coloring of the flesh is not the result of the work of genetic engineers, as one might easily think. It is of natural origin. The pigment was obtained from vegetables growing on the equator and in Africa, and as a result of numerous crossings, it acquired the degree of a species characteristic.

Where did he come from?

It all started with the work of breeders to develop new diet varieties of this root vegetable. Interspecific hybrids were used in the formation of new varieties. The initial material was taken from the maternal forms of cultivated species growing in South America. The basis was the varieties bred by Ukrainian breeders.

The use of the classical method of sexual hybridization resulted in varieties whose flesh has varying degrees of color - from pale lilac to dark purple.

Today, about 120 intermediate samples are involved in the selection process, which is an excellent result and guarantees in the future the production of new fixed hybrids with purple flesh.

It is no secret that potatoes with a standard color of flesh can be classified as a dietary product with a big stretch, since they contain a large number of calories. But the colored one is not so dangerous in this regard; moreover, it has a lot of useful properties that are inherent in the standard white-yellow varieties to a lesser extent.

Color means health. Benefit!

According to research by nutritionists, colored foods have different effects on the human body. Of course, they could not ignore such a phenomenon as completely purple potato tubers, and, after carefully studying it, they came to the following conclusions.

1. Purple potatoes lower blood pressure. Moreover, it is so significant that the product is not recommended for frequent use by people suffering from hypotension. But for hypertensive patients this is a real medicine.
2. The vegetable contains more antioxidants than non-colored varieties. If you regularly eat purple potatoes, it slows down the aging process of the body. Of course, you won’t be able to get younger from the “magic root vegetable,” but you can delay old age somewhat.
3. This vegetable contains an increased percentage of vitamins in the complex most required by the body. Its basis is the two most important vitamins for health - C and E, as well as a number of unique carotenoid substances. They help synthesize vitamin A, maintain water balance and have a positive effect on the endocrine system.
4. When consuming this root vegetable, vision sharpens, the walls of blood vessels become stronger and more elastic, and the risk of atherosclerosis and cancer decreases.

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This vegetable contains a lot of anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants. It turns out that by eating purple potatoes, we increase immunity, fight colds, lower blood sugar and lose weight, because they contain less starch than yellow or white ones.

A purple potato tuber absorbs three times less nitrates from the soil, and there is as much vitamin C in two such potatoes as in one lemon.

What to eat fried potatoes with?

The dish is used as a side dish for fish and meat, and also as a main dish with salads and pickles. The choice of add-ons depends on the season and availability.

In winter, pickles are used:

• pickled vegetables;
• canned salads, zucchini and eggplant caviar;
• mushrooms.

The preparations are complemented with onions and herbs.

Many people like to combine fried vegetables with salted and pickled fish, traditional herring and onions.

Fried potatoes are heavy food. To reduce calorie content and facilitate digestion in case of gastrointestinal problems, the best options for additions to the dish are:

• fresh vegetable salads - tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, radishes;
• steamed or boiled meat, poultry, fish.

These products will not create additional stress on the digestive system and go well with fried potatoes.

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