Fill Your Freezer: Potatoes

I LOVE MY NEW KITCHEN SINK!!  I could never have washed and diced 10 lbs of potatoes on my old countertop.  I am so blessed to have a handy dad (and father-in-law) to help out!

Today's menu includes diced potatoes & twice-baked potatoes:

Most families would probably prefer homemade french fries, but we could eat homemade home fries 7 nights a week!  Sometimes I fry them in infused oil to add some favors, other times I just fry them plain.

Most of my freezer cooking is done to make meal prep easier and faster.  This method, however, probably takes longer than just making the fries normally.  That brings up another great benefit of freezer cooking:  You can cook large amounts of cheap food that would have spoiled otherwise!  I can buy 10 lbs of potatoes at a really good price and I don't have to worry about where I will keep them (cool, dark place) or how long it will take to use them up!

Freezing potatoes raw can sometimes turn them funny colors.  To stop that from happening, I cut the potatoes (in whatever shape you like, french fries, home fries, curly fries, wedges, etc.) and toss them in boiling water for 10 minutes (or until tender).

Then, rinse them with cold water to stop them from cooking.  Space the potatoes out on baking sheets and pop them in the freezer to flash freeze.  Once frozen, transfer the potatoes to freezer bags in portions that work for your family.

While my husband would love it if I made 10 lbs of diced potatoes, I decided to use the other 5 lbs to make twice-baked potatoes.  I loved these as a kid -- butter-flavored only!!  They are the very first thing I learned to make-ahead and freeze.

According to the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (everyone should own this), you can bake four potatoes by microwaving them for 10-15 minutes.  I nuke four potatoes at-a-time and let them cool down.  Then I scoop the insides into my KitchenAid and I add a ton of butter.  I baked 12 potatoes today and used almost a whole stick of butter (but I could have used more!! Yummmmm...).  I mix it on a low speed for a minute or two, then slowly add milk until it's mashed-potato-consistency.  Scoop that into your empty shells, cram them on another baking sheet, and flash freeze!  Again, once frozen, transfer to freezer bag or individually wrap.

I have to admit that my family is a little disappointed that there isn't room in the freezer for ice cream right now!  I'm sure they'll be thankful in a week or two when the baby is screaming, we're all exhausted, and we still have yummy home-cooked food to eat for dinner!!

If you're interested in how I will use my {almost} fully stocked freezer during my postpartum weeks, make sure you subscribe!

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