Emma Miller
Potatoes are undoubtedly the most popular vegetable in Ukrainian cuisine. We cook dishes with potatoes almost every day. But just sticking to the recipe is not enough for a delicious result. It is also important to choose the right potatoes because each variety has different properties.
How to choose potatoes for frying
If you buy potatoes at the market, specify their variety from the seller. The varieties “Hope”, “Zhukovsky”, “Leader”, and “Bryanskaya” are excellent for frying. If you do not know the variety of potatoes, focus on the structure of the skin. Choose potatoes with smooth skin without roughness. Small oblong or oval tubers are good for frying – they do not fall apart when frying and are soft inside.
If you fry potatoes that are too starchy, they will be sticky and too soft. For fried potatoes to be tasty, put them in hot oil and salt them at the very end of frying.
How to choose potatoes for mashed potatoes
Potatoes of the “blue-eye” variety are ideal for mashed potatoes. It is easy to recognize it: it has purple or pink “eyes”. Select smaller potatoes – they are more starchy. Also, tender and airy mashed potatoes come from potatoes with rough or cracked skin. Starchy potatoes stick to the knife when sliced and leave a starchy residue on them.
If you have the wrong variety, it’s best not to mashed potato the wrong potatoes. It will be watery and lumpy. Better serve it in whole pieces with greens and butter. To make mashed potatoes tasty, add potatoes to hot water and pour hot, not cold, milk at the end.
How to choose potatoes for soup or salad
For soup and salad, use waxy potatoes that won’t boil and hold their shape well. Use varieties with low starch content: “francolin”, “red Scarlett”, “Nevsky”, “and luck”. If the variety is unknown, choose potatoes with red or pink rinds. Tubers without “eyes” retain their shape well. If there is little starch in the potato, it does not stick to the knife when sliced.
French fries: How to choose a variety
The floury varieties are used for cooking fries. You can identify them when slicing: the knife should be covered with a starchy coating, and the entire cutting board will be white.
