Freezing Potatoes Recipes (Side Dish Project)

For years I never even tried to freeze potatoes because when I was first experimenting with freezing meals for my family it did NOT!!! go well. I would freeze soups and casseroles not thinking that there would ever be a problem. The potatoes would come out black or squishy and not something I would enjoy eating, let alone my young children. So I gave up on freezing potatoes altogether.

A few months ago I was searching for freezer recipes and happened upon a site that explained how she cooked and froze her potatoes. COOL! I had also saw on another site how someone would wait until potatoes went on sale for under 20 cents a pound and she would get 300+ pounds and store them in a cool place for her family to eat through the winter to save money. HOLY COW that's alot! Spending that kind of money I needed to know they wouldn't go to waste and that this freezing thing really worked. 10 lbs of potatoes later, I had a few baked potatoes, mashed potatoes and oven potatoes chilling in my freezer waiting for a taste test. They survived! AND tasted great! And the potato monster was born! One that was waiting for a good deal on potatoes.


Well, I found that good deal and got 60 pounds RIGHT after Thanksgiving!  Here is what i made with them :o)  I wrote it up so if you want to too, it will be much easier.  For you and me next time :o)

Things you'll need to gather:

• 2-3 really BIG pots (I had 2 14 quart pots)
• 2 13x9 pans
• 2 plates
• 1 small knife (to peel potatoes)
• 1 large knife (to cut potatoes)
• A good CLEAN scrubber
• 2-3 really big bowls
• tin foil
• Large Ziploc bags
• 4 tin 8x8 pans
• a old clean wash cloth
• a old towel
• 1 fork
• Long handle tongs
• plastic wrap
• 1 5 quart plastic ice cream bucket, empty :o)
• Hand mixer or kitchen aid mixer

Ingredients you'll needed:

• 60 lbs of potatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 pound butter
• salt
• pepper
• garlic powder
• 1 lb cheese, grated
• 24 oz sour cream
• 1 pound bacon, fried and chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 packets of Onion soup mix
• 1 1/2 cups milk

Plan of Action:

• Gather all your ingredients and have your table cleared.
• Sort your potatoes on your table - even in a bag of somewhat even sized looking potatoes, the size will vary somewhat. Sort in small, medium and large sizes.
• As you sort, pull out the very wounded potatoes. Ones that show open flesh, or bad blemish spots. almost all potatoes have cuts, just sort out the really bad ones. Set these aside back in a potato bag. We will use them, but not until last. This is your ODDS bag.
• Next wash up your LARGE potatoes. (I got 40 of these) Scrub them good They will be your BAKED POTATOES and HASH BROWNS. Hash brown recipe is below. Prick them 2 times with your fork and wrap in tinfoil. Put in the oven and turn it on to 400* for 1 hour (set timer). When they are done they will go on your towel to cool completely. Bag into a Large Ziploc, label and freeze as is

• Get your pots and fill them with the Smallest potatoes until the are 2 inches form the top. Any extra small potatoes put in the ODDS bag. (I got about 80 of these)
• 

Next wash up SMALL POTATOES and put back into pots. These will be for MASHED POTATOES and LOADED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES. Add water to 1 inch to the top. Make sure all your potatoes are under the water completely. Bring potatoes to a boil. They will be done when you can stab them easily to the center. (about 30 minutes) Pull out of your pot when they are done with the long handled tongs and place on the towel to cool. When the cool somewhat, start peeling with your small knife and the old washcloth (to hold it) We don't want these to cool too much, because they are easier to make mashed potatoes with when warm.

• While the baked potatoes and boiled potatoes are cooking and/or cooling, sort out the BEST 40 MEDIUM POTATOES. These will be for TWICE BAKED POTATOES. Wash these good, prick them 2 times with your fork. Pour 1/4 cup of vegetable oil into a small boil and with your fingertips bush the potatoes well with oil. Sprinkle with salt lightly. Place them into your 13x9 pans (20 to a pan) They will face long way up. When both pans are ready and baked potatoes are out cooling, place both pans side by side in your oven and bake for 50 minutes.
• At this point your small potatoes should be cool enough to touch and peel. The peels should come off very easy with little waste with the slightest help from you knife. When they are all peeled (that was a pain wasn't it) mash them with your mixer. You will use half for MASHED POTATOES and half for LOADED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES. The recipes are below.
• As the twice baked potatoes come out of the oven, place on the towel to cool. With your large knife, cut them in half length wise so they will cool faster. Scoop out the center of half of them , they will scoop out easier while warm. These will be for TWICE BAKED POTATOES. Recipe for this is below.
• With the other half of the cut potatoes, cut each half into 4 wedges, length wise (long). Season these as you wish, recipe for POTATO WEDGES is below, and flash freeze them before bagging into a large Ziploc bag.
• At this point you should be just left with the ODDS potatoes. They will be your COUNTRY OVEN POTATOES. Scrub these potatoes very well as you will be eating the skins. cut out any parts you would not eat and cube the rest into 1/2 inch cubes. The recipe is below.

Recipes

1. BAKED POTATOES - Scrubbed potatoes well, prick them with a fork and wrap them in tinfoil. Bake them in a 400*oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending on size. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS -take tinfoil off and microwave for 3-5 minutes til warm.
2. HASH BROWNS- Peel about 15 completely cooked baked potato. Place 2 feet of plastic wrap onto a plate and grate about 3 potatoes onto the plate. Spread potatoes gently to evenly distribute potatoes on the center of the plate in a circle. Wrap with plastic and place in a round plastic 5 quart ice cream bucket. Keep going until bucket is filled. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS - In a nonstick skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over MEDIUM HEAT. Place frozen hashbrowns into buttered pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and brown as desired.
3. MASHED POTATOES - Take about half of your boiled potatoes and mash them in your kitchen aid (of with hand mixer in a bowl) Hopefully they are still a bit warm at this point, if not melt your butter in a microwave. Add 3/4 cup butter, 1 cup sour cream, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1/2 cup of milk. Mix until your desired texture. Bag into 2-4 gallon sized baggies, depending on how much your family will eat in a meal. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS- heat threw in microwave until heated through.
4. LOADED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES - Take about half of your boiled potatoes and mash them in your kitchen aid (or with hand mixer in a bowl) I had a total of 80 small potatoes for this. Hopefully they are still a bit warm at this point, if not melt your butter in a microwave. Add 3/4 cup butter, 1 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1/2 cup of milk. Mix until your desired texture, taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Divide into 4 portions, or more depending on how much your family will eat in a meal. Place each portion into a 8x8 tin pan OR a plastic container. Sprinkle with bacon, green onions and shredded Cheddar cheese. Wrap well with tinfoil, label and freeze. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS- warm in microwave or a 350* oven until heated through. Do not put tin in microwave! or plastic in oven lol
5. TWICE BAKED POTATOES - Cut baked potato in half length wise. Scoop out center leaving a little edge of potato flesh. Put the flesh into your mixing bowl and add 3/4 cup butter, 1 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 1/2 cup of milk. Mix until your desired texture, taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Scoop potatoes back into potato skins and top with bacon, green onions and shredded cheddar. Place into a large ziploc (14 each bag) Label, seal and freeze. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS- place desired number of frozen potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350* oven for 15 minutes.
6. POTATO WEDGES- Potato wedges are easy, cut each cooked half into 4 long wedges and season up as you desire. My family likes salt and pepper and Parmesan cheese, or seasoning salt the best, but we have seasoned them with steak dust, Salad Supreme or many different seasonings. Try a bunch. One thing I know is that this is defiantly a passable homemade fry substitute for my family. (you can also freeze homemade COOKED french fries, BUT they are too much of a pain cutting and half frying for me to do them often. You also should use potatoes that have sat in your pantry for about 30 days, so that they don't turn DARK. something about sugars and starches) COOKING INSTRUCTIONS- place desired number of frozen potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350* oven for 15 minutes.
7. COUNTRY OVEN POTATOES - Wash your potatoes well. Leave the skins on. Cube your potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Place into your 13x9 pans just under even with the top of the pan.   For EACH pan, add a chopped onion, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 onion soup mix, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp peeper. mix well until evenly coated. Cover and seal with tinfoil. Bake in a 350* oven for 30 minutes. Cool and bag into portions for your family size. label and freeze. We LOVE these in breakfast tacos or as a breakfast side. COOKING INSTRUCTIONS- Thaw and warm in a microwave for 5 minutes.