Easy Potato Recipes

This time of year, we think more about staying inside our warm houses and enjoying a home-cooked meal. But sometimes it's hard to think of things to prepare for evening meal night after night, especially when you're trying to use up things you have on hand.

Potatoes are a staple food in my family's winter diet. They're inexpensive, easy to prepare, and there are so many separate things that you can do with them. Even though my husband sometimes complains, "potatoes again?!" when we've had them in some shape or form for evening meal every night for a week, I still conduct to come up with new and separate ways to serve them. I personally never get tired of eating them.

Food Recipe

Potatoes are very versatile in that you can serve them as a main course, side dish, or appetizer. They also ice very well, so you can prepare meals ahead of time and ice them for later use. One easy meal to prepare is a easy potato soup base consisting of potatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk or water. You can add flour to thicken it up if you wish, or I add cream of mushroom soup to give it a richer flavor. From there you can add whatever you wish to generate a meal your family is sure to enjoy. I often add clams for an easy-to-make clam chowder, ham, or corn and bacon for corn chowder. There is no end to the possibilities you could come up with. Served with fresh homemade bread, you can't beat the feeling of relax a bowl of potato soup brings on a cold winter's day.

Potato Soup Base

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cans (21 oz) cream of chicken or mushroom soup

2 soup cans milk

Salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions and garlic, cooking until soft. Add potatoes and adequate water to barely cover the potatoes. Cook, covered, until potatoes are tender (15 to 20 minutes). In a medium-sized bowl, mix together soup and milk. Pour soup composition into potato composition and stir. Heat but do not boil. Season to taste.

Parmesan Potato Casserole

2 cups mashed potatoes

8 ounces cream cheese

2 eggs

1 small onion, diced

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl, mix Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, consolidate mashed potatoes, cream cheese, eggs, onion, and flour. Beat with a mixer on low speed until blended. Beat at high speed until composition is light and fluffy. Add salt and pepper. Pour potato composition into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mixture. Bake for 35 minutes.

Easy Potato Recipes