By Wanda A. Carter
Potato Plan page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next
For oven fries, use the reserved large potatoes, peeling or not as you wish. Cut into fries. I use 1/2" fries; the size of your fries will determine your baking time. If your fries are not super-crisp, cover them with cold water and let them set for 45-60 minutes; drain, dry well. Toss with olive or canola oil, add spices and sugar and toss again. Place on baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray and bake at 475 degrees for 20 minutes. Place on brown paper bags or paper towels to cool. Place on clean cookie sheets and freeze solid. Place in labeled freezer bags and return to the freezer.
I use the small potatoes to make mashed potatoes. There are two ways to do this. If the skins are in good shape and I want to use them to make potato skin appetizers, I bake them in the oven like the larger sizes. When they come out I cut them in half (the long way) and scoop the flesh out into a bowl. I place the skins on a baking sheet, fill with whatever additions I want (not sour cream, it tends to separate and become watery when frozen by itself), flash freeze, wrap well, label, and return to the freezer. If I want very crispy potato skins, I simply freeze them empty.
If the skins are not in good enough shape to use, I boil them in their skins, drain, cut in half (the short way), and place in a ricer*, cut side down. I don't have to take time to peel or mash them; the ricer does both for me in one motion. Add whatever ingredients you wish to the pulp (sour cream, cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper, garlic, onion, other seasonings, etc), freeze in meal-sized portions, making sure to wrap well and label. (Note that I do add sour cream before freezing when it is mixed with other ingredients.)
As the larger potatoes come out of the oven, I let them cool enough to handle.
I pick out the nicest looking medium sized potatoes for twice baked potatoes. Don't let them get too cool or it will be hard to scrape the pulp out of the skin. Slit lengthways. While still warm, scoop the pulp out, leaving a thin layer of pulp in the skin. Mash the pulp up and combine with anything you wish. I usually add sour cream or cottage cheese (to make the filling creamier and a little tangy) followed by seasonings such as finely minced onion or garlic (or use the powders), dill weed, or celery flakes. I've also varied them by using a little Italian seasoning or taco seasoning. If you use dried herbs, make sure the pulp is moist enough to rehydrate them; add a little milk if you need to. Refill the skins with the pulp, flash freeze, wrap, label, and return to the freezer.
I pick out the nicest looking large potatoes for baked potatoes or loaded (stuffed) potatoes. After they have cooled completely, I place them on a baking sheet, flash freeze, bag, label, and return to the freezer. I don't care for the texture of microwave baked potatoes but previously oven baked potatoes are fine when they've been re-warmed in the microwave.
For loaded potatoes, use large potatoes and freeze them whole after they have been baked. (If you wish, you can make the loaded potatoes first and freeze them). Slit lengthwise and place in individual serving bowls. Possible toppings are limited only by your imagination. We especially like:
- Taco - taco flavored crumbled ground beef, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, shredded lettuce, sour cream
- Ham and Cheese - shredded or coarsely ground ham, shredded Swiss cheese
- Pizza - Crumbled Italian sausage, shredded Mozzarella cheese, green pepper, mushrooms, pizza sauce (Can also use pepperoni, shredded chicken, shredded ham, or hamburger)
- Roast Beef - shredded roast beef, shredded Cheddar cheese, mushrooms
- Chili and Cheese - canned or homemade chili (not too soupy), shredded Cheddar, sour cream
- BLT's - crumbled crisp-fried bacon, chopped tomatoes, and shredded lettuce with a little sour cream if you want
The remaining medium and large sized potatoes (with the skins that didn't look so good) are peeled, shredded or chopped, and used for things such as potato pancakes, hash brown casseroles, and soups.
Really, anything is fair game. Just let your imagination run wild.
*A ricer is a very handy little kitchen utensil that allows you to make mashed potatoes without really mashing them. It is composed of a cylinder about 2 1/2" high and 3 1/2" wide. The bottom of the cylinder looks like a sieve and the top is open. The handle is hinged and the top part has a flat disk attached that fits into the top of the cylinder. Place your cooked potato half in the cylinder, cut side down, and squeeze. The pulp goes through the sieve and the skin remains in the cylinder. It lets you make mashed potatoes with a nice, somewhat lighter texture than if you mashed them (Unless, of course, you stir them to death after you've riced them.) You can also just put whole peeled cooked potatoes in it. Think over-sized garlic press and you might get a better picture of it. You can find them in most kitchen supply sections.
Potato Plan page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next
Wanda is a member of Menus4Moms Yahoo group and has been bulk cooking for years.
