Since we’ve moved I’ve been meaning to freeze some potatoes because it seems like I end up tossing the last 8-10 potatoes in a 10lb bag-and that is a shame and wasteful! The other night we had some mashed potatoes I had in the freezer, and it gave me some inspiration.
Here’s what I did Thursday with my 10lb bag of potatoes. Instead of letting any rot, I put them in the freezer! Now you can’t put a whole potato in the freezer-so try some of the following!
- French Fries-Peel then cut into strips like french fries. Cook in simmering water for about 10 minutes until they are tender(not mushy!). Drain, rinse with cold water, and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Freezer until hard then remove them and put into freezer bags. Cook on 400° until desired crispiness!
- Diced Potatoes-Peel and dice them, put them in a pot of water and cook until tender. I ended up letting them simmer(not a complete boil) for close to 10 minutes. I could poke a fork into them without them falling apart. Drain them and then rinse with cold water(this stops the cooking process). Put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. When they are hard(I waited just under a hour because I was rushed) take them out and put them in freezer bags according to how many your family needs per meal.
- Hashbrowns-peel and halve the potatoes. Boil them until they are fork tender(again, not mushy like you would for mashed) then take them out and rinse with cold water. I let them sit in the cold water in the refridgerator while I worked with the other types of potatoes I was preparing to freeze.(so about an hour). Then rinse them and pat dry. Put them through the shredder(personally, I use a salad shooter my mom gave me) but you can use a food processor. They look just like hashbrowns! Put desired amount into freezer bags and freeze!
- Mashed potatoes-cook them until they are mushy(for red potatoes I sometimes leave the skins on, but usually when I freeze mashed I peel). Drain and whip them using milk and butter. You can add garlic salt for a garlic mashed. Let them cool slightly then put them in freezer bags. So basically, make them the way you normally would and then freeze! Thaw and put in a baking dish to reheat. I usually cover them while I bake them.
For the diced, french fries, and hashbrowns I cook them just as I would if I were to buy a bag of frozen potatoes at the store. I’m very pleased with how easy it is to prepare these and how great they all taste! While I did this I had two pots going so I could have one cooking while I was peeling the next type and didn’t have to wait to start cooking them. The picture to the left is some of the diced potatoes we ended up eating with our steaks Friday night. A great way to save money! My husband is a meat and potato guy so I usually have to have a potato with our meal. Overall it didn’t take me much time(MAYBE two hours including clean up) and it saves me a step each night(personally I’d rather peel a bunch of potatoes at once then have to do it a couple times a week!)
What do you make ahead of time and freeze to save money? Doesn’t it help save time and money both? I know I’m not as apt to eat out when I have meals in the freezer that are ready to throw in the oven! I’d love to hear from you!
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First off I love this blog I read everyday. Second, I love the idea of freezing potatoes I too do this for hash browns, which i use the diced cubed potatoes, Also when i make lasagna or enchiladas i make a second dish and cook one that night and freeze the other for another night. It does save time and money cause i can buy bulk to do both and then just throw in the oven. I also make italian sausage sandwiches which is just italian sausage, ragu sauce, mozzarella cheese and hoagie bread. Once it is all assembled and cooked and covered in aluminum foil i put all the sandwiches in oven for about 10 minutes and remove. We have it for dinner and the extras all get froze( i always make extra again buying in bulk) It is great when we want to have it again for dinner just take it out and heat in microwave.
The Italian Sausage sandwiches sound great! I may have to make those especially as it starts getting colder! Thanks Danielle!