Every year, more and more new, previously unknown, and sometimes outlandish varieties of potatoes appear in the gardens of summer residents. And it is not surprising, because domestic and foreign selection does not stand still. Scientists develop plants that are resistant to weather conditions in a certain area, have immunity to many common diseases, tasty for humans and not tasty for crop pests.
Among the latest innovations, the Pai potato variety stands out. Both breeders and many gardeners call it the most pleasant to taste, and all thanks to its high starch content and the content of a large amount of carbohydrates. When boiling, the tubers are easy to boil, knead in mashed potatoes without lumps and have a pronounced aroma.
Potato grade Pai: description
Today, this variety is more often grown in small plots and vegetable gardens, but it is possible that Pai will soon begin to be cultivated on an industrial scale. There are all the prerequisites for this. Take, for example, the yield. This indicator for the variety is quite high; with proper agricultural technology, at least 380 centners, or even all 400, can be harvested from one hectare.
The bushes of the plant are tall (up to 80 cm), strong, powerful, with a thick erect stem. The leaves are slightly wavy, dark green. The tubers are round. The skin color is creamy. If you look at a potato, then slightly pinkish eyes are clearly visible on it. They are few in number, slightly depressed. The thickness of the skin is average, therefore mechanical damage is possible during digging.
The tubers are large enough, the average weight is 360-400 grams. Up to 15 of them can form in one bush. The more the tuber consumes moisture during its growth, the more tasty and juicy it will grow.
Plants are resistant to powdery mildew and scab, rarely subjected to massive attacks by the main enemy of gardeners – the Colorado potato beetle.
Cultivation technology
The Pai potato variety has exceptionally good reviews. He received them primarily for his unpretentiousness. Its cultivation does not require the use of any special agricultural techniques, this process is practically no different from the technology of cultivation of other varieties of potatoes.
Planting material can be purchased at vegetable fairs or in specialized online stores. Now this is no problem. Thanks to the development of information technology, you no longer need to beg for neighbors and acquaintances, begging for a few potatoes for cultivation on your site.
Seed potatoes must be germinated before planting, so that the seedlings appear earlier and are friendly. Tubers germinate in a warm room at a temperature of 15 degrees and above. In this case, the sun’s rays should not fall on the skin. On average, the germination period lasts 2-2,5 weeks. During this time, the sprouts grow up to 5-6 cm.
Do not rush too much and plant seed potatoes in the garden ahead of time. Experts recommend planting when the soil warms up to 8-10 degrees. This is very important, because in cold and damp soil, tubers begin to rot, and nothing may grow out of them at all. Any planting scheme for the Pai variety is suitable, here everyone chooses at their discretion.
A week or two after planting, the top layer of the earth is loosened. Such an event is necessary in order to destroy the dense crust on the ground, which prevents the sprouts from breaking through. Later, when the weed grows along with the stems, the area will need to be weeded out. It is advisable to remove weeds with rhizomes, otherwise they will soon declare themselves again.
When young plants reach a height of 13-15 cm, they can be hilled for the first time. Re-hilling is carried out after 2 weeks. The better this process takes place, the more tubers will form and grow on the rhizome.
During the flowering period, plants require additional moisture. It’s not bad if moderate rains fall at this time, they will help gardeners. But if warm, dry weather sets in during the opening of the buds, then the potato bushes will have to be watered independently, as needed.
When the tops begin to wither and fall (August-September), they are mowed or cut in any way possible. After that, you need to withstand at least 2 weeks and only then start harvesting. In small areas, the tubers are dug out manually, so there will be fewer damaged specimens. All the dug out potatoes are scattered in the garden and dried. After drying, the harvested crop is moved and folded into containers (boxes, bags, nets). The final touch is sending it to the cellar or basement for winter storage.
As you can see, growing this delicious vegetable is not so difficult. Maintaining planting dates, timely weeding, hilling, control of soil moisture during the flowering period – all this will provide the family with tasty potatoes until the next harvest.
How to cook potato pie
The famous potato pie is the simplest and at the same time incredibly tasty dish. Its cooking technology is the same as that of French fries, only the shape of the slices is slightly different. They are thinner and longer. You can cook potato pie at home, even without a deep fryer. The main secret here is the correct cutting.
Potato pie: recipe
- You need to take 1 large potato or 2 medium pieces. Wash the tubers thoroughly, peel them.
- Then the prepared potatoes are cut into thin circles and laid out in cold water. This procedure is necessary in order for excess starch to come out.
- Then the circles are cut into thin strips. It is laid out on a paper towel until it dries completely.
- At this time, sunflower oil is poured into a saucepan and heated on the stove until small bubbles appear.
- Small portions of straws fit into the hot little and are fried until golden brown. Since the pieces are thin, they will brown very quickly.
- Using a slotted spoon, place the slices on a paper towel again. This time in order to remove excess oil.
- This is how all the chopped strips are fried in portions.
- Sprinkle the cooked potatoes with a little salt and various spices to enhance the taste of the vegetable.
This is how potato pie is prepared at home. If the farm has a special grater for Korean carrots, then it will facilitate the process of preparing the straw. You should not cook the potatoes in the oven, they will turn out to be too dry and brittle, and in a pan there will be no such effect. Deep-frying in a skillet is ideal. After deep-frying, the slices are crispy and very appetizing.
Many other delicious dishes can be prepared from this vegetable. For example, salad with potato pie. In the preparation of this dish, you should not restrain yourself with the recipe, feel free to add all your favorite ingredients. Fried potato strips go well with meat products (boiled beef, smoked chicken breast, sausage), pickled or fresh cucumbers, boiled eggs, cheese and herbs.
Chefs say that potato pie with chicken is the perfect combination. In this case, poultry meat can be boiled or fried. And if you add pickled cucumber and greens to this “couple”, you get a delicious, and most importantly, a full meal.
Potato pie: technological card
If we consider the technical and technological map of the potato ration, then you can see three main ingredients. These are potatoes themselves, refined sunflower oil and table salt. According to calculations, a portion of 400 grams comes out of 200 grams of a semi-finished product, which is considered a pretty good indicator. The straws should be 2 mm thick and 4-5 cm long. Oil temperature – 180 degrees.
As for the nutritional value of the finished product, 100 g of potatoes contain:
- 4,4 g protein;
- 20,8 g of fat;
- 39,8 g carbohydrates.
Caloric content – 365 kcal.
From these indicators, we can conclude that it is impossible to abuse the share of potatoes, no matter how tasty it may be. Especially people who are prone to being overweight and those who carefully monitor their figure.
Pai is not only the most delicious potato variety, but also a dish that many gourmets have liked. Plant this vegetable in your garden to pamper your family and friends with crispy potato sticks with unsurpassed taste.
