Potatoes are an excellent winter comfort food perfect for serving on cold days. The versatile vegetable can be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and many potato recipes can be frozen for serving at a later time. Potato meals can have meats added or can be served as vegetarian options. Once a month cooking (OAMC) menu plans often include a potato plan option. Preparing potato meals for the freezer when potatoes are on sale allows the grocery dollars to be stretched further. Dinner meals under $5 can easily be prepared when the basic potato becomes the focus of a recipe. One ten pound bag of potatoes can be prepared to provide two meals and an appetizer for a family of four. For times when potatoes are on sale as a buy one get one free deal for the ten pound bag, consider doubling these recipes and stocking the freezer using potato choices as lunch meals also. To make two meals and an appetizer from a ten pound bag of potatoes, gather ingredients to prepare Twice Baked Potatoes, Baked Potato Soup, and Potato Skins.
Potato Meals for the Freezer Grocery List
- 10 pound bag Irish Potato
- 1 stick butter or margarine
- 1 quart milk
- 4 cups shredded cheddar
- 1 pack instant potatoes
- Onion, chopped
- Bacon or bacon bits
- Green onions
- Chicken broth powder
- Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic, onion)
- Aluminum foil
Basic Preparation for Potato Meals
- Scrub potatoes
- Piece each potato with fork in several places
- Wrap in foil
- Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until potatoes are soft
- Leave in warm oven until needed.
Twice Baked Potato Meal
- Remove half of the potatoes from the oven.
- Cut each in half and scoop the potato from the shell.
- Leave shell on a cookie sheet to be refilled
- Mix potato pulp with half stick margarine, salt, pepper,garlic
- Mash until smooth, adding small amounts of milk until smooth.
- Add other vegetables or meats if desired.
- Replace potato into skin and top with cheese, pressing cheese into the potato.
- Place on cookie sheet and flash freeze.
- When frozen place in freezer bag in quantity to use for a family meal with remaining items being individually packaged for lunchs
- To serve, thaw in fridge during the day and bake at 350 for 25 minutes to reheat and melt cheese.
Baked Potato Soup
Use the remaining potatoes to make a baked potato soup with the skins used to make a potato skin appetizer. The potato skins may be used the day the potatoes are baked or can be frozen and eaten with another non-potato meal. To make baked potato soup:
- Scoop potato pulp from skins, saving skins
- Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a stock pot.
- Saute one chopped onion
- Mix 6 cups of water with chicken powder to make chicken broth
- Add 3 tablespoons flour to onion and butter mix, cooking but not browning the mixture.
- Slowly add the broth to the flour mix
- Stir in the bag of potato flakes
- Simmer while chopping up potato. Add potato chunks to broth and cook over low heat.
- Add 1 cup of milk, half and half, or heavy cream.
- Heat slowly to prevent scorching.
- Add meats or cheeses if desired. Store in freezer containers
Baked Potato Skins
Use the potato shells to make a Potato Skin Appetizer.
- Brush potato skins with butter.
- Top with shredded cheese, green onions, pieces of crisp bacon, or other meats
- Broil until cheese is melted and toppings are hot.
Making multiple meal items from one on sale ingredient helps reduce grocery costs in tough economic times. Preparing potato meals for the freezer allows a hot homemade meal to be enjoyed by the family even on days when the schedule is busy.
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