Six Dishes To Use Up Potatoes
Since we accidentally overspent our grocery budget by $10 due to bad weather and the holidays (or my lack of planning for bad weather and the holidays), we haven’t been to the store in a few days and we won’t go until the end of the week.
To stretch our food and save money we plan on using up our 10 lb bag of potatoes until we go shopping again. This week we have already made hash browns and I plan on making some potato soup tonight. Tomorrow we will bring some twice baked potatoes to a New Year’s Eve party where our friends are serving chili.
Although the potatoes I have are fresh, most weeks I forget that I have potatoes in my cupboard and when I find them they only have a little time left and so I have to use them quickly. Since I have found lots of recipes that use up potatoes I thought I’d share six family favorites.
1. Twice Baked Potatoes
We will make our potatoes similar to this recipe but omit the bacon, use less sour cream and add ranch dressing. We usually make this as a side dish but we have used it as a main dish in the past.
2. Potato Soup
I will often double this recipe and use whatever vegetables I have on hand. This soup is also tasty with bread bowls.
2-3 c. chicken broth
2 c. chopped potatoes
1 c. celery
1/4 c. onion
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. butter
2 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cheese
1 can corn, drained (opt.)
1/4 c. chopped bacon (opt.)
1/4 c. shredded carrot (opt)
Mix the broth, potatoes and vegetables in large pot and simmer 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. In a separate pan combine the flour and butter over medium heat and mix 1-2 minutes or until the mixture starts to brown. Add milk and constantly stir 3-5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Combine the milk mixture with the broth and vegetables. Stir in cheese, corn, bacon and carrot and heat through.
3. Potatoes and noodles
This is a Swedish recipe from my grandmother and is my dad’s favorite recipe. We make the mashed potatoes from scratch but to speed up the process we leave the peels on.
Noodles:
1 c. flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
2 c. chicken broth
1-2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken breast (opt)
Mix egg, salt and milk. Add flour and mix well. Roll out thin and cut into noodles with a pizza cutter*. Bring chicken broth to a boil over medium heat. Add separated noodles and let cook 5-10 min. Add chicken. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cooled water and add to mixture. Let broth boil until thickened, adding more cornstarch if necessary. Pour over mashed potatoes.
*You can also just grab small chunks of dough with a spoon and drop in the broth instead of rolling the dough out. This speeds up the process but the noodles will turn out larger.
4. Rosemary potatoes
This is a simple recipe from the Betty Crocker Cookbook that we have frequently used as a side dish. This dish is a healthier alternative to fries if you use olive oil.
5. Baked potatoes
Baked potatoes are extremely versatile. You can top them with leftover chili, broccoli and cheese, pizza toppings, sour cream and bacon and other variations. We will often have baked potatoes when we want a lighter supper.
6. Hash browns
We will often bake the potatoes the night before and stick them in the fridge to make breakfast easier in the morning.
5-6 large potatoes
1 1/2 Tablespoons oil
Bake the potatoes in the microwave or oven. Let cool and then grate onto large pan or skillet. Add oil and fry over medium-high heat until golden brown.
Since I rarely stick to a recipe and instead use what I have on hand these are an approximation of how I make certain dishes. To make them a little healthier you could cut back on the fat and add vegetables and proteins where you think it’s needed. Don’t be afraid to experiment with potatoes, they’re very forgiving.
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- Six Dishes To Use Up Potatoes
- Weekly Menu: Potato Soup and Bread Bowls
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