Guest post: what to do with 10 pounds of potatoes

I'm so excited to share this guest post from Audrey at Tight Wad in Utah! She had 10 pounds of potatoes…and you'll just have to see what she did with them!

HI!  I'm Audrey and I have been matching deals and coupons with recipes on my blog Tight Wad in Utah. I've been "couponing" since last summer and LOVE it! But then, here I am with 12 boxes of pasta and I need something to do with it all. So each Wednesday we post about what deals to stock up on, then post recipes using those items. Not all at the same time…… that would be a pretty funky meal.  

Recently potatoes have been on sale. I've seen them as low as .58  for a 10 lb bag! I consider it a bargain if I can get one for $1. But then this is what happens…I get a slight knot in my stomach……. can I use them before they grow eyes? Will the smell of them rotting remind me where I put them??  

Soooooooo, here is my plan I found 3 recipes and I used the entire bag!  Now all those potatoes are either digested or resting comfortably in my freezer.

Here is what I did with them:

1. Scalloped Potatoes

2. Rosemary Mashed Potatoes 

3. Oven Fries

1. Scalloped Potatoes (8 potatoes) 

This recipe freezes well, so I hear. I can't manage to have any left to freeze. The section that is gone was my "test" piece to make sure they were done

The recipe is pretty straight forward and uses ingredients you probably already have. If you're not going to eat it all at once like me, divide it into meal portions after its cooled from baking, seal in a freezer container or bag, label it with the name and date,freeze! Reheat in the microwave. 
 

2. Rosemary Mashed Potatoes (10 potatoes) 

Now, I KNOW these freeze well. And not because they aren't as good. My friend made them for me during a freezer swap. DELICIOUS! You can read all the rave reviews at All Recipes.  

This is also an easy recipe to follow. I doubled the recipe using 10 potatoes and 5 yams.


Peel and cube them all, then throw them in some salted boiling water until tender. (20 to 30 minutes)


My pot was FULL!  If you don't have a huge pot just turn it down from high so you don't have a raging boil with water splashing everywhere.

When done, retain 2 cups of the water.Then drain.


Then just mash it all with the other ingredients, except for half of the cheese that you sprinkle on top. In the recipe it calls for roasted garlic.  I just used minced that I had on hand. And I used about 1 cup of the retained potato juice – 1/2 cup if you don't double the recipe. Refer to the recipe link for ingredients and added instruction.



If you've doubled the recipe put it in a 9 x 13 casserole dish, otherwise use an 8" dish. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

After it's somewhat cooled, separate into meal portions and seal in freezer bags. I like to freeze them like this so that they fit in my freezer better.  

Reheat in microwave.

I spent $3.44 in yams (not on sale) and $1.25 on cheese. The rest I had on hand. And now I have a fancy side dish for 5 meals!  (one isn't pictured because we ate it.
 

3. Oven Fries (used the rest)

I love homemade fries, but I don't make them often because I think it's too much work for a side dish when I'm trying to get dinner done.  So I found out how to freeze them.  This way I can just take out how much I need and throw them in the oven!   Nice, am I right??

So here's what you do: Wash, scrub and cut the potatoes into 1/2" fries.Toss them with oil (I used canola because I have lots) and add some salt and a little sugar (helps with crispyness – is that a word?)


Then place on baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes at 475. 

When done, let them cool on paper or dish towels. Then put them in the freezer (on the sheet, or on something that will fit in your freezer – I used pie tins..lol). Keep them there until they are frozen solid.  Half hour or so. All that's left is putting them in a freezer bag and labeling it!

When you're ready to eat…spray baking sheet with cooking spray and bake at 450 for 20-40 minutes (depends on size of fries).

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DONE!  Now you have a 10 lb bag of potatoes making itself useful instead of stinking up your house.

I did make the fries and the rosemary potatoes at the same time.  I just started cutting the fries while the rosemary potatoes were baking. 

For more recipes feel free to check out Tight Wad in Utah!