Remember back in February when I bought 90 pounds of seed potatoes?
What was I thinking?
I mean really, did I not know what I was getting myself into? Well apparently not because yesterday Lucy the amazing puggle dog was outside helping me with the seemingly never ending task of digging up our potatoes.
And we’ve only just begun. Not including our latest harvest, we have already dug up over 210 pounds of spuds. Holy mashed potatoes people.
We still have potatoes growing in potato towers, beneath the pumpkin mounds and because we ran out of space, we even planted a few garden boxes with potatoes as well. 
And now I’ve found myself in a dilemma. What am I suppose to do with all these potatoes?
If you have a favorite recipe, please,please, please leave it in the comment section below.
Thanks a million,
Mavis
Carol says
Potato chips? Will your local food bank accept fresh foods? Good luck!
Barbara says
Yes they do,,,Contact Fish Food Bank.. I am pretty sure they would take them.. I went there up on 85th and Portland and they had fresh spuds, and watermelons.. and pears, and well.. lots of nice things.. Don’t know where ya live.. But I would take some off your hands. I live behind the Tacoma Mall …. LOL.
Ashley says
Veggie Spiral
http://www.recipebyphoto.com/veggie-spiral/
This recipe doesn’t use a lot of potatoes, but it will use up some other garden veggies, too. I’ve only made it once, but it was really yummy. Just make sure you slice your potatoes thinner than the other veggies so that they cook thru.
You can boil small red potatoes in super (SUPER) salty water. When they’re tender, take them out and let them sit for a couple minutes. They develop a thin salt crust and they’re really tasty.
Christie says
How about making your own homemade french fries and freeze them? I just googled homemade freezer french fries and a bunch of recipes popped up. I bet the boys would love them.
Mavis Butterfield says
Hey, when I find the russet potatoes I’ll have to do that. Thanks Christie.
Sara says
Well you may have to get a new freezer. But dice and add seasoning to your liking and freeze them. YUM
Joan Blurton says
Well,of course you’ll set aside 40 pounds as seed potato for next year. 🙂 Now only 300 pounds left to dispose of. (assuming you’re still digging) You can dehydrate some for use in winter stews and soups. Previous commenter said potato chips, but we actually have a small restaurant here that makes something similar to potato chips. They are thicker, but still very thin, and are great. Of course, you can sell some at your drive-way farmers stand, do the ‘zucchini dump’ on your neighbor’s porches, and donate some to a Senior Citizens center.
Paula says
I’ve harvested 25 pounds so far and that is already more than my husband and I will eat in a year. Also, they are mostly blue potatoes, which I loved, but don’t work well mashed or in potato salad.
Michele C. says
Potatoes winter well if kept in a cool dark cellar. My grandparents use to sprinkle lime over the potatoes and layer them in dry leaves under their house in the crawl space. They just washed off the lime well before use and they were nice all winter.
Ms. Savvy says
I make gnocchi with my potato harvest. They freeze great and feel like you are eating a gourmet meal. Here’s the recipe:
http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/how-to-make-gnocchi/
randy says
I think the farmers market at end of driveway with a list of suggested trade items… I think you can slow roast them with other odd veggies and put it in bags for winter stews. How ever simply storing them in a dark place would work also. Giving 100 pounds of the poor keeper type of potato.. to your local food cupboard? Potato soup is excellent and freezes well. Potato latkes..?
Jesse says
I call these Grandma potatoes…she calls them “do-ahead mashed potatoes.”
The recipie is endlessly modifiable.
7-10 pounds of potatoes cut into chunks and boiled
1 cup sour cream
1 block of cream cheese
1 egg (or 2 little eggs)
1-4 tablespoons of onion salt
Mix together in the Kitchenaid until combined. Spread into a 9X13. At this point you can refrigerate for up to 3 days. To cook: dot with butter and bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.Also good with ranch seasoning mixed in, cheddar cheese on top, a few sweet potatoes added to the mix, fresh chives, etc.
I generally use a whole 10 pound bag and let it heap up in the 9X13. I think the real recipie calls for 5 pounds of spuds.
Marta says
Give them to the local food bank!
Christie says
Here’s another idea if your family like hashbrowns – homemade frozen hashbrowns. http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/make-your-own-frozen-hashbrowns
Melanie says
Barter with your neighbours, I’m sure they would love to have some.
Sheila says
I have parboiled, grated, and frozen potatoes for use in casseroles. Parboiling/freezing works for chunked up taters for mashed potatoes too!! LOL I must say ima lil jealous!!! 😀
Jill Frank says
Can you dice/shred/cut into whatever shape, blanch and freeze? Think hash browns, potato soup, mashed potatoes, etc over the next year. I haven’t done this before, but considering there is a whole section in the grocery freezer section, I am thinking it is possible. Good luck!!
Kara says
Sounds like you need a root cellar….. 🙂
Jennifer says
You can shred a bunch drain and pat dry then freeze in bags, you now have a bunch of hash brown bags that you spend sometimes over $2 a piece on. You can dice/cube them and freeze them in bags, for homefries, scrambles, and adding to certain soups. I know some people who make mashed potatoes ahead and then freeze into portions, not something I personally do but I have never had that many potatoes on my hands either. You could also cube/dice them and boil them half cooked then freeze them then they would be like those steam and mash bags you buy at the grocery store when your short on time.
Jennifer says
There’s an awesome loaded baked potato soup recipe on another blog…my family LOVES it…now I’m going to have to make it again. They said it freezes well too so maybe I’ll try that this time 🙂
Judi McCann says
Mavis, lots of freezer things you can do and also dehydrating them as slices is a good option, but I really love to can them. You need a pressure canner, but they’re awfully handy to have for a quick meal. Our canned ones usually get used with some onions and fried in a skillet along with salmon patties or sausage and scrambled eggs for a quick meal. They’ll last a long time in cold storage, although Yukon Gold’s don’t last very long in storage (at least not for us).
Dianna says
Won’t they keep all winter if you do it right? I hope so for your sake. 🙂
We love baked potatoes with chili on top. Also latkes for breakfast. I like to roast a big pan of veggies and sausages and throw some whole potatoes in there; it’s a complete meal and perfect for fall.
Last but not least, this throwback from my childhood: funeral potatoes. They’re so good.
http://be-it-ever-so-humble.blogspot.com/2009/02/funeral-potatoes-with-less-fat.html
Sophia says
I would say…”send them to California!” Lol….My husband LOVES potatoes, too….and at the current SoCal market price of $4.99 for a 10lb bag of russet potatoes…he’s encouraging me to grow our own potatoes this fall. I’m wondering…could you can some potatoes? You’d need to use the pressure canner, as they’re not a high-acid item….hmmmm….now there’s a thought!
Kate says
You can absolutely pressure can potatoes….and let me tell you….they are DELICIOUS! Earlier this year, I picked up 100 lbs of potatoes when I was doing my bulk shopping at the Amish market a few hours south of me. It’s just me and husband, and I knew I wanted potatoes to be ready-to-use for nights that I needed them quick. Risking oversimplifying…here is what to do.
1. Wash/Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes and put in cold water to prevent browning (really just chunks, not perfect)
2. Prep jars (I used both pint and quart size) and prep pressure canner. Boil water to use to pack potatoes.
3. Add anywhere from 1/2 t to 1 t canning salt to each jar depending on flavor preference. Pack in potato chunks leaving 1/2 in to 1 in headspace.
4. Pour in hot water on top of potatoes and remove air bubbles. Wipe rim and secure lid/ring.
5. Pop in the pressure canner and allow to come to 10 pounds pressure. Pints process for 35mins and quarts process for 40mins. Release pressure naturally. Yada-yada-yada for the rest, you know what to do, Mavis.
These are seriously AMAZING. So much better than anything you can buy in a can. We have already gone through so many because they’re just so amazing. Some blogs said to cook them ahead of time, but we didn’t want them to be total mush, so we didn’t. The pressure cooked them just soft enough. They’re perfect for so many things. I’ve popped open and drained cans to blend or mash for soups, I’ve drained and added milk/butter and mashed, I’ve drained and pan fried for breakfast, I’ve used in casseroles with smoked sausage…..so many uses! YUM. Hope you try it and love it.
Carol says
That sounds amazing, Kate! I never would have thought about canning potatoes…thanks!
Mistie says
Bake them and then press them through a ricer and dehydrate them for “instant potatoes, bake shred and freeze for hashbrowns, donate to a local food bank..
Linda says
Dice potatoes, dice onion, place in a plastic bag add 1 package of Lipton onion soup mix with 1/4 ( or a little less) oil of your choice and bake @450 until crisp and tender, 35-45 min. I bake on a silpat… Good luck!!!
Madam Chow says
Crispy Baked Potato Fans
From Cook’s Country
April/May 2008
Serves 4
Total time:
To ensure that the potatoes fan out evenly, look for uniformly shaped potatoes.
Ingredients Bread Crumb Topping
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Potato Fans
4 russet potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Instructions
1. For the bread crumb topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Bake bread crumbs on rimmed baking sheet until dry, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then combine crumbs, butter, cheeses, paprika, garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in large bowl. (Bread crumb topping can be refrigerated in zipper-lock bag for 2 days.)
2. For the potato fans: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Following photos 1 to 3 at left, cut 1/4 inch from bottom and ends of potatoes, then slice potatoes crosswise at 1/4-inch intervals, leaving 1/4 inch of potato intact. Gently rinse potatoes under running water, let drain, and transfer, sliced-side down, to plate. Microwave until slightly soft to the touch, 6 to 12 minutes, flipping potatoes halfway through cooking.
3. Arrange potatoes, sliced-side up, on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush potatoes all over with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until skin is crisp and potatoes are beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove potatoes from oven and heat broiler.
4. Carefully top potatoes with stuffing mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Broil until bread crumbs are deep golden brown, about 3 minutes. Serve.
Madam Chow says
Tons of potato recipes:
http://www.woodprairie.com/recipes
Leslie says
I would put and save as many as you can..then sell and share. You can always use the money to buy something else you need. Potato vodka? That is a lot of potatoes! Now I am motivated!
Mary says
Storing your potatoes would make it easier on you during this time of year when you need to process all the veggies that don’t store well. Here is a link from Oregon State University on tips for storing potatoes.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/970
Savanna says
I would do a little of everything. I would dehydrate for scalloped potatoes, casseroles and stews. Plus freeze twice baked potatoes, french fries and hash browns. Possibly try to store them if you got a good spot to do so. Last anything left over goes to the neighbors or donate or possibly make a deal and trade or sell at your local produce store.
Rebecca says
Store in cold storage/basement. They should keep well for months. Otherwise: Can them. Slice/dice and parboil and freeze for all sorts of things like mashed potatoes, home fries, scalloped potatoes, etc.
Jessica says
Oh Please, whatever you do, DO NOT FREZE THE POTATOES. The texture they get once defrosted is really disgusting, either you freeze them raw, blanched or cooked. I have tried every single recipe for freezing potatoes that are wandering the web, and none of them have worked. The frozen potatoes you find in the supermarket have been done with industrial processes that include sudden at very very very very low temperatures freezing (as per liquid nitrogen shock, although is not made this way). So please, if you don’t want to loose your beautiful and so waited potatoes, don’t take them not even close to the freezer. Your best choice is to dehydrate them. You can get not only potato powder to make mashed potatoes, but also thin potato slices (healthy fries). You could also make a ton of italian gnocchis (a pasta made from mashed potato instead of wheat flour), they are delicious and freeze really very well for more than a year.
Linda says
store them! some hay or burlap bags. make layers and store in a cool dark place
katherine says
ever think about unloading them to your local readers? haha
maile says
ok, so i have no idea what to do with that many potatoes but had to comment on how dang CUTE it is to see Lucy “helping out”!!!!
Dottie says
Potato-leek soup. I don’t measure stuff so I don’t have an actual recipe to give but I can tell you it’s perfect for this crazy weather we are having (I’m in Tacoma) and leeks are cheap at Winco right now. Or store them for now then hand out baskets full for Christmas gifts? You’re quirky enough to pull that off!
stephane says
well lets see, your title is one hundred dollars a month so if you have an excess you can sell it to help cover the cost of your gardening. Potatoes keep well over the winter if you store it in damp sand. We go threw aprox. 300-400 lbs a year for 5 people. You can precook recipies like sheaperds pie, blanche them into fries, dehydrate them. You can keep another 90 lbs for next years crop. You can trade some for anything ex. more vegies, mulch, eggs,compost etc. That`s what I would do.
Vanessa says
I don’t know if it will be possible to eat all those potatoes even if you ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 🙂 Some of my favorite potato recipes are potato salad, meatless hash (http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/meatless-hash) and of course, corn chowder (or “chowdah” in my part of the country) – my favorite cool weather comfort food.
Aileen says
Hi, here is an excellent potato cookbook ‘Best of Irish Potato Recipes’ by Biddy White Lennon – 54 choices! Now that should allow you to use some of your fab potatoes.
Christi says
My dad grew up poor in the depression and they would dig a hole 2 feet deep (and as large as you need, say 4 x 6′) throw the taters in the hole, cover them with straw, then dirt. In winter they would scrape away the snow and work their hand down into the hole and grab a few spuds from under the straw. I think this is a fantastic idea for those who do not have a root cellar or basement!!
Susie says
We traveled to Ireland in June, and among the delicious eats (we were on the coast – seafood every day!) we ate the best au gratin potatoes. It tasted special though – so I had to ask the chef for the recipe. I was FLOORED (and thought he was lying) when I discovered the ease of this deliciousness. Thinly sliced potatoes, layered strata-style with heavy cream and salt & pepper, then baked covered with foil for a while, uncovered for a while. It ended up being a little over an hour at 375-400 degrees. I started at 375 then worried it would take longer than my entree so I kicked it up a bit, and all was well. It is absolute potato perfection!