Potatoes. The humble spud. Actually, not so humble. It's the fifth most important crop grown in the world. And, they're a nutritional powerhouse.
In the United States, everyone eats about 112 pounds of potatoes every year, and twenty-nine percent of those potatoes are grown in Idaho alone!
Potatoes are full of minerals, a good vitamin C source, and loaded with beneficial fiber, especially when you eat the skin, too. And why not? It tastes great! You could Google their fantastic health benefits all day.
I'm here to sell you potatoes as a cheap, filling, and delicious part of your diet! These days, we're growing concerned about feeding our family on a budget with prices skyrocketing. Potatoes to the rescue!
Start right here. The Russet potato is ideal for baking.
Try to select potatoes that are uniform in size so they will bake evenly.
Please don't wrap them in foil. When you do this, they are steamed, not baked. Would you like to enjoy eating the skin? Here's how to make sure the outside is as tasty as the inside!
Scrub each potato well and cut out any bad spots. Dry them thoroughly with a terry cloth. Now, please give them a good rub with olive oil. Do you have any bacon drippings? Then, by all means, try that! The flavor is amazing!
If you've got a cast-iron skillet, use it. Generously sprinkle the skin with kosher salt. Now bake them for an hour or so at about 350 degrees.
The potatoes are ready to eat when you can pierce them easily with a cake tester or a knife tip. Potatoes are very forgiving when baked this way, and you can leave them in the oven longer if you need to.
When you bake potatoes, the oven's dry heat produces deliciously crispy skin and a fabulously fluffy interior. You could stop right there and serve them as a side, but hold on.
Why not whip up a tasty mixture to stuff in them with and make baked potatoes a complete meal in just a few minutes!
When the potatoes are ready to eat, set them aside and keep them warm. You will use the same pan for the next step. Add a bit of chopped onion to the olive oil left in the skillet, along with a can of drained french cut green beans and about a cup of packaged diced ham.
When it's all nice and warm, split open the potatoes and squeeze them to expose the beautiful interior. Now, spoon the ham mixture on top of the potatoes. This is enough topping for two or three baked potatoes.
You can top it with some shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream if you like! What a cozy supper! You can use leftover chicken, taco filling, or yesterday's chili or spaghetti sauce instead. Whatever you have on hand, it's scrumptious.
Here's a clever trick from my catering days. Use filling and less expensive ingredients like potatoes, pasta, or rice as a "stage" or platform for costlier ingredients like meat. Meat does not always need to be the center of the plate.
The current market conditions call for some old-fashioned ingenuity, and we'll all have to change up some of our habits a bit. But who knows? We may be delighted to find ways to economize and, along the way, discover new favorites we'll hang onto for life!
What's your favorite way to fix potatoes? Are there any recipes you'd like to share? Happy spudding, everyone! See you soon!!
Please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest if you enjoyed this recipe today. I’d sure be tickled and ever so grateful, thank you!
If you haven’t already, check out my Facebook page, where I’ll be posting easy, delicious, and family-friendly recipes every week!
Love, GB (Betty Streff)
Sign up for my newsletter and receive a free gift! A printable sign that would look great in your kitchen, framed above your sink, or just placed anywhere to remind us how lucky we are to have dirty dishes!
Sign up now!