An Ode To The Potato, Queen Of Budget-Friendly Cooking

”An Ode To The Potato, Queen Of Budget-Friendly Cooking” is a collaborative post and includes affiliate links.  Please see the disclosure page for more information.  Disclaimer – always verify financial information with a financial professional.

Ah, potatoes! 

When you have potatoes, you can cook a feast for a king without breaking the bank. Indeed, potatoes are not only incredibly versatile, but there’s also an affordable pantry staple. If you’re looking for the best approach to cut down your eating expenses, mastering the delicate art of potato cooking can go a long day for your budget. 

What does potato cooking mean? It means making delicious dishes that are satisfying, healthy, and easy to prepare. Are you ready to fully embrace the potential of the potato in the kitchen?  (Keep reading to the end for the Ode to Potatoes by Cindy Magee)

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A Comfort Food

When I think of potatoes, I think of a baked or mashed dish of goodness. This always makes me think of being at a family gather like Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter (ok, well just about any excuse to have a big meal) but potatoes don’t need to show out just for holidays. The root vegetable has long been a comfort food in my family. There is nothing like filling up a heaping spoonful of starchy goodness and dolluping it onto a plate; it’s like a blankie for my stomach. And then adding a pat of butter or a gravy or toppings and this can be a meal by itself. Mmmm, right?!

Learn to reproduce the taste of your favorite eat-outs

Most people, when they think of cooking with potatoes, tend to imagine a dish where you would use potatoes as a side, either as fries or mashed potatoes. But, in reality, learning a few new potato recipes can help you to incorporate potatoes into everyday recipes, and cut down on unhealthy carbs. For instance, if you’re an enthusiastic Asian food eater and you can’t get enough of your Chinese take-out, you can learn to make sweet and sour sauce to transform your evening cooking. A couple of sweet potatoes sliced thinly are an excellent replacement for noodles in a sweet and sour stir fry for instance. 

Replace fries with healthy potato cakes

There’s more to life than French fries. The Indian cuisine, especially, has a lot of delicious and straightforward potato-based recipes, including yummy Tikki cakes. If you want to learn to make Aloo Tikki, an Indian snack that combines potatoes and spices into deliciously light patties, you only need a few basic ingredients: boiled potatoes, rice flour, coriander, mint, ginger, and spices. It’s a simple snack that has a comfortable feel for a meal in front of the TV. Add a little homemade chutney and a few grilled vegetables, and you’ve got yourself a healthy sharing platter for your home movie nights. 

BONUS

Grow your own potatoes easily. Have you every not eaten all the potatoes in a bag before they start going bad? Don’t worry! If you have a pot with some soil, just cut the leftover potatoes in half and bury them cut side down. In about 70-120 days they will be ready to harvest. Don’t be surprised if they are a bit smaller than the original potatoes that you planted though. Or if the leftover potatoes have started rotting, put them in your compost bin to use in your garden(even urban gardeners can use compost).

By cooking potatoes in a healthy way they are a good addition to you meals. These vegetables have  fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 plus a good amount of fiber. Definitely fit for royalty and my own table!

An Ode to Potatoes (ala Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depths of the dirt in which you grow
My hands can reach, when feeling out of sight below
For the ends of roots and potatoes of different sizes.
Harvesting you brings surprises.
I love thee to the level of every dish’s
Most delicious need, by ambient lamps and candle-light.
I love thee freely with butter and gravy.
I love thee purely, as crinkle fries all wavy.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old leftovers with grocery store produce.
I love thee with a love I seemed to enjoy
With salt and pepper or extra toppings deployed.
Mashed, fried, casserole or cakes; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after baked.

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