Whether you’re social distancing, self-isolating or in quarantine, we’re all trying to keep life as interesting and stress-free as possible. For delicious meals, potatoes are a great food to introduce into your food reserves (if you’re not already stocked up). They are affordable, nutritious, filling, and will store for a long time in the right conditions. Here are a few recipes and techniques using ingredients and tools most people will already have on hand.
Potatoes are one of the few fresh foods that will store for long periods of time, four to six months if done correctly. To get the best results, first sort through your potato stash and remove any that have soft spots, sprouts, or other signs of damage. Place the rest in either a cardboard box or basket. No plastic, potatoes need to breathe! Basements make a great storage location, but if you don’t have one, try to find a cool, humid, dark place—but nothing too cold.
Even in appropriate storage, you still need to check on them regularly. Remove soft and shriveled potatoes (do not eat). Sprouts on potatoes should be removed but are still fine to eat if they are firm.
If you’re looking for something to last even longer, check to see if your store has any dried mashed potatoes or dried hashbrowns. These are rehydrated with water and last for years. Frozen potato products like fries, mashed and hashbrowns also last a long time in your freezer, and are an easy go-to for little to no prep.
It’s hard to beat a simple oven-roasted potato recipe. An excellent go-to is the olive oil, garlic and rosemary combo. However, this dish can be altered to include whatever you already have on hand, and still be delicious! And unlike a baked potato or mashed potatoes, oven roasting potatoes works perfectly with any variety of spud.
The possibilities are endless.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Clean and cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place in a baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and mix with salt and pepper (or any other spices or mix). Cook for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven, add in fresh garlic and herbs, and stir. Garlic should be left in larger chunks so it doesn’t burn. Place back in the oven and finish cooking, 10-15 more minutes or until golden brown and tender.
Cover potatoes with water in a small pot; season with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until a knife slides easily through the flesh, 30–40 minutes. Drain, let cool slightly, and peel.
Melt 4 tbsp. butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant. Add 1 cup cabbage and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted. Add milk and cream and bring to a simmer.
Add potatoes and remaining 1 cup cabbage, then coarsely mash. Season with salt and pepper.
Have more time on your hands and want to try something a little more complicated? Try the potato rolls from our previous post: Love your spuds: Bake ‘em.
– March 23, 2020
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