Cost: A cheap vegetable which can be cooked in a variety of ways
Lidl price 99p for 2½ kg cost per 100 grams = 4p giving you an easy way cf costing each meal.
Baked
Potato average size 150 grams; large 200 grams.
Four in the oven cooking time approximately one hour at 200 degrees.
With a standard microwave approximately 5 – 7 mins per 150 grans
A pre-programmed microwave and oven 18 mins.
Tip 1: Squeeze skin gently to see if cooked. With microwave leave to stand for a few minutes.
Tip 2: When using an oven, cook another dish with them, even if not having it that day, eg. Stewing Steak recipes, casseroles with vegetables, moussaka, creamed potatoes, pastry best cooked in the oven. There will be sweet dishes, eg fruit crumble, apple pies, cakes, biscuits, pavolva. Consider what is known as ‘batch cooking’ where you prepare and cook several things at once, saving time and electricity in the future.
Boiled
These are simplest and cooked in a saucepan of boiling water. Cut larger potatoes to match the smaller ones. Cook with or without the skins, for approximately 20 minutes. And serve with a knob of butter/margarine.
Mashed potatoes
These can be quickly cooked by cutting all potatoes into rougly 1 cm chunks. Boil for 10 minutes. Drain off water. Mash potato until no lumber, then add a knob of butter, sprinkle of white pepper and enough milk to beat them together. The more milk the lighter they become.
Combined with other vegetables
1. Half swede and potato cooked together and mashed as above.
2. Add to light potato mash cooked cabbage and onion. Form into ball coat with flour, roll or press out in lightly oiled frying pan. Easiest way to brown the top is put pan under grill. Serve with cold meat eg. day after Sunday roast dinner. Known as ‘Bubble and Squeak’, good with ham/bacon eggs and beans.
3. Mash leftover cooked potato and vegetables into a little cold gravy, or simple white sauce, a mayonnaise and yoghurt mixture, and use with small bits of leftover meat for savoury pancakes, pastry pockets. Works too in a frittarta similar to a Spanish omelette.
4. A Spanish omelette is diced potatoes chopped with onion and boiled. As above lightly oil frying pan, pour in three (six for frittata) eggs. Drain and add to pan. Slowly cook until formed into a thick pancake without burning the bottom. When it looks solid invert a plate and turn over to brown other side, or put under grill to brown. Delicious with salad and cold meat
5. A variation on Hash Browns. Just add an egg to your mash potato. Mix together and cook as above – best to put under grill to brown top should come out in slices, but just as delicious if it falls apart!
6. A simple meal is mashed potato, add 200 grams of tasty cheese put in casserole dish, add a half a average sized tomato per person and put under the grill. Serve with baked beans. A favourite when I was a child.
Potato slices
These can be placed on top of a slow cooking casserole/hot pot. On their own this potato variant is more suited to oven at 190 degrees, 30 – 40 minutes. They can be cut thinly cut spread out on a baking sheet or slightly thicker and placed in (no more than three layers) in a casserole dish. There are many recipes on the internet how to make a creamy/cheesey sauce.
A simple creamy recipe made in the microwave:
1.Over potatoes sprinkle fine layer of flour, pepper, and chopped garlic
2.Pour over that ¼ pt of milk. Cook on HIGH.
3.Check sauce after 10 mins.
4.If too runny mix a little milk with teaspoon of cornflour
5.Add slowly and carefully into centre without breaking the slices.
6.Too thick stir carefully around potatoes a little milk
7.Check after 10 mins potatoes in the centre are cooked
8.If not, move the centre potatoes to the side others to the centre
9.Readjust the sauce if necessary and cook for another 5 minutes
10.Leave to stand or pop under the grill to brown.
11. Add cheese and/or onions to the layers if you so desire
Roasted
In the oven:
1. Put two tablespoons of oil in a cup.
2. Coat prepared potatoes with flour.
3. Dip in oil before putting in roasting tin with meat,
4 .In a hot oven with or without meat they take about an hour to cook
In the microwave on HIGH 20 mins. When softened, use a grill to brown.
If you have a combination microwave use the Jacket Potato programme.
Weigh the potatoes = 600 grams takes around 18 mins.
Wedges
These can be done in oven or microwave.
Prepare potatoes, cut into wedges and follow instructions for roasting.