Potatoes: A Great Frugal Ingredient

Discussion in Food & Drink started by prose • Feb 11, 2016.

  1. prose

    proseActive Member

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    Potatoes are a staple in my home. They are versatile, easy to prepare, and super inexpensive. I just purchased a 15 pound bag of Russet potatoes for $3.49 at Save-A-Lot. This amount of potatoes will go far in our house! Potatoes are a great way to save money on your grocery expenses each month, and they are even a source of essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B6, potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorous, and niacin. Here are some of our favorite ways to use potatoes in our monthly meals:

    • Cheesey Au Gratin potatoes. These can be made in the slow cooker or in the oven.
    • Homemade oven fries. Potatoes, olive oil, and seasonings are all you need to make your own oven fries!
    • Potato Soup. I usually make a Cheesy potato soup with reduced fat cream cheese in the slow cooker. You could add ham or bacon to make it really tasty.
    • Baked potatoes. Sometimes we do a baked potato bar for dinner, with baked potatoes and various toppings (shredded cheese, bacon, chives, etc).
    • Potato salad
    • Mashed potatoes. Garlic mashed potatoes in the slow cooker are my favorite!
    What are some of your favorite ways to prepare potatoes while cooking in your home? Do you have any other frugal ingredient ideas like potatoes to share?
     
  2. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    I like my potatoes plain boiled. Most people won't find them tasty but I kind of like them that way.

    There's another recipe which I think those who haven't tried it should. Take a look:

    Log In



    It's not that complicated. And since rice and potatoes are cheap these meals could save you a lot of money.
     
  3. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    I am not really fond of potatoes but my husband is. When watching tv after dinner, he sometimes would bake potatoes for a snack especially when we are watching a movie. He would cut the potato in half and bake it in the oven. When nearing to be cooked, he would add cheese and butter. I admit that it is a good snack. But we only have a stock of potatoes during summer, when potatoes are cheap because during off season, the price of potatoes is 3-fold.
     
  4. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I too love potatoes. I don't know if I have a favourite way of preparing them, because I really enjoy them however they're prepared. My husband does this thing where he slices them thinly, parboils them and then seasons them and drizzles a generous amount of olive oil on them. He then bungs them in the oven until they're crisp on the outside but nice and fluffy on the inside. They're not ready until they're golden brown. He doesn't cook but he came up with this little recipe all on his own, and it's absolutely delicious!
     
  5. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    I like potatoes, but I do think how you eat them makes a difference, and also your preference. I personally like roasted potatoes and hash browns, but a good creamy mash is equally as good if it's done well. I know people are concerned about carbs, but if you eat them early on in the day you burn up the energy.

    I use up potatoes to make an au gratin, on top of pasta or vegetable bakes usually to make they crispier.
     
  6. rz3300

    rz3300Active Member

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    I have always considered myself somewhat lucky because I love baked potatoes, and when I can pick up an entire bag for cheap I have side dishes for weeks on end. They are easy and cheap, which of course is two of the prerequisites for a good meal in my home. I also like some more fancy potatoes, but when it comes to simplicity I like those the most.
     
  7. ohiotom76

    ohiotom76Well-Known Member

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    I go through potatoes quite regularly, and often have them with both breakfast and dinner. Sometimes I will have them for lunch as well, such as a salad and baked potato. They are very versatile and inexpensive, as well as being filling. I don't really worry about the carbs or calories in them that much, since some studies have shown that they can actually help people lose weight since they are so filling. The articles noted that people who incorporated potatoes in their diet were less likely to snack as much between meals, because they were more satiated.

    I was tempted to get that 15 lb bag at Save-A-Lot when I saw it the other day, but I had already purchased a bag at Giant Eagle, so I was worried I wouldn't be able to use them all up in time. Incidentally, I just came across a new style of potatoes at Giant Eagle called "Butter Russets", which I really like. They aren't too starchy or huge like regular russets, but they're not waxy and slimy like the golden potatoes could be. They have a great texture, and are a great size for an individual meal.

    I typically like to peel, dice and steam up a batch of potatoes, to have on hand in the mornings to make home fries. And for dinner, whenever I am roasting something else in the oven for a couple hours, I will throw in a few baked potatoes as well to roast along with them. I also like baking them in my toaster oven, since it crisps up the skin nicely.
     
  8. jneanz

    jneanzActive Member

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    They're good with chorizo. Then there's potato skins and I just recently heard about potato tacos.
     
  9. MrsJones

    MrsJonesActive Member

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    I was just thinking about the 10 pound bag of potatoes that I purchased. I don't eat potatoes that much only when my husband prepares them. @Lushlala@Lushlala. Our husbands think alike. Conjuring up recipes:D. There are some good ideas here too. @prose@prose. I am so glad that you mentioned something good about potatoes. I hear so much about them having no nutrition value. I figure why even bother to grow and sell them ... just like candy.
     
  10. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    Over here potatoes are not really a staple, but it's only used as an extender for certain dishes. I don't really love potatoes that much, but I don't mind munching on french fries every now and then.
     
  11. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    I adore potatoes. So versatile and cheap as heck. One of the reasons I don't get it when people say eating healthy is expensive. It truly isn't. The bag of potatoes I'm going through right now, was uber cheap and one potato is practically the size of my head lol.. I'm stuffed after a meal with potatoes. I usually just shred'em and bake'em (no oil or animal fats), sometimes with some finally chopped veggies mixed in and whip up a batch of sauce for it.. either my fave red pepper sauce or a vegan cheese sauce (not crazy about the one I use right now, I'm making my way through the recipes). I'm not a fan of mashed potatoes or stuffed potatoes, but I make them for the kids a lot. I also love making chowders and other soups with them. And french fries :)
     
  12. Ke Gordon

    Ke GordonWell-Known Member

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    You are very right abou that prose. Around here, you can sometimes buy a 10 pound bag of potatoes for under 2 dollars. Since, I am usually the only one eating here, I could never use up 15 pounds of potatoes before they went bad, and the same with 10 really. I prefer buying 5 to 8 pounds of potatoes, You are right though they are a great and versatile ingredient. We ate a lot of them, when I was growing up.
     
  13. purplepen88

    purplepen88Active Member

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    I love potatoes too. They are definitely a staple in our house. Especially right now I can get a 5lb bag for 99 cents. They are inexpensive and can really fill you up. I make potatoes all different ways for my family. Our new favourite is a baked potato casserole. You make mash potatoes as usual but then add mayo, sour cream, cheddar cheese to it. Then spread it in a casserole dish and bake, I sprinkle bacon bits on top and serve it with chopped chives/green onions. It's all the goodness of a baked potato but without the jacket.

    Other ways I serve potatoes:
    • sliced and fried - they are like homemade potato chips if you slice them thin enough
    • mashed - my kids love mashed potatoes with gravy
    • french fries- turn out terrific if you have a T fal Actifry - so easy to make fries in this machine
    • boiled - I serve this with just butter, salt and pepper
    • grated and fried- potato pancakes - so delicious and I serve them with sour cream
    • in soup - I take cauliflower and potatoes and make a creamy soup
    • stews - potatoes, meat and gravy = comfort food in the winter
     
  14. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    French fries and fried potatoes with onions are a few of the ways we eat potatoes in our house. We also eat potatoe salad once in awhile, potatoes are added to my soup when I make homemade soup. We eat more rice in our house than potatoes.
     
  15. atlmom5

    atlmom5Active Member

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    Potatoes are a staple in my household too! I cook potatoes many different ways. I mash them, I fry them, I stew them with carrots and meat, I grate them and fry them, I boil them, I bake them and I steam them. I also make a baked potato soup from my potatoes too!!!