What to do with 20 lbs of free potatoes?

[CheapskateWife]

No pressure cooker, dehydrator or deep freeze over here so in a quandary about what to do.  We live in central TX, so there is no root cellar, and with our very mustachian thermostat set at 84 for the summer, storing potatoes in the pantry only works for about 3 weeks before we start to get rot. 

DH suggested boiling 10 lbs of them and making an enormous amount of mashed potatoes and freezing them for later use...would blocks of mashed potatoes lining the freezer make it more energy efficient?  :)

Any other suggestions?

[Gone Fishing]

If your waist line can handle it, fry those 'taters up!  Amazing how fast a pile of potatoes can disappear when reduced to crispy little sticks dipped in ketchup!

[Gerard]

Home fries and latkes freeze up pretty well, too!

And they go with a lot more meals than you'd expect, if you mess with them a little. Home fries into Spanish omelettes or moussaka or topped with curry powder. Latkes with Indian-style dips or chutneys, or spicy soy-sesame dip, or garlic mayo.

[tomsang]

Since it is about $4 worth of potatoes, I would not kill myself to eat, cook, or store.  Let neighbors, friends and family know that you have excess. That way you give them a large bag worth $2 and they reciprocate with a pot of chili worth much more:). Or maybe a pie!

[CheapskateWife]

Genius!  I just remembered my kattycorner neighbor has very healthy yard chickens...heading over with one of the 10 lb bags of potatoes this afternoon with the hope of a karma trade :)

[ketchup]

Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!

We go through loads of potatoes.  Baked potatoes, chopped up and fried in breakfast burrito bowls/breakfast skillets, mashed potatoes, chopped up into stews or to be roasted with other vegetables, to name a few.

Just have a potato side with every meal and that pile of potatoes won't last long.

[Elderwood17]

Last week I bought a 50 lb bag at the farmers market for $12 (bag had a hole in it but the thing weighed 50 pounds on my home scale).  We gave away bags to various neighbors who in turn gave us okra, green beans, grapes, and tomatoes from their garden. 

We have been eating potatoes every night for a week but still have enough for a couple more weeks. 

Just keep eating!

[LadyStache]

Cook a few baked potatoes and have a potato bar one day (recommended toppings: cheese, bacon, sour cream, broccoli)
For dinner the following day, you can take any leftover baked potatoes from the potato bar and make potatoes au gratin.
I'm also a big fan of Spanish omelets.

I've never made tater tots, but that might be another good option if you're looking to freeze some.

[Allen]

Potato...jam?

[4alpacas]

Potato soup! 

I would make a few different dishes with potatoes and double the recipes.  Freeze them in single servings.  I do this regularly when I cook anything (because I'm lazy).  It's a super easy way to have dinner prepared with little effort and to pack lunch in less than a minute (toss a freezer bag into your lunch bag).

[alsoknownasDean]

Vodka! :)

[G-dog]

Vodka! :)

And we have a winner!  Lol

[MikeBear]

Potato soup! 

I would make a few different dishes with potatoes and double the recipes.  Freeze them in single servings.  I do this regularly when I cook anything (because I'm lazy).  It's a super easy way to have dinner prepared with little effort and to pack lunch in less than a minute (toss a freezer bag into your lunch bag).

I can't believe it took until this post for somebody to mention Potato soup! Throw some fried bacon and a little fresh cut onion in there, and it's to die for! My mom was from Hungary, a great cook, and without Potato's, life wouldn't be the same.

Don't forget Potato PANCAKES! Try sprinkling a little sugar on them! yum....

[MrsPete]

You don't need an electrical gadget to dehydrate foods.  Do you have some small wire mesh around the house?  That's all you need, and dried potatoes make fantastic potato soup. 

[Rural]

I've done a lot of dehydrating on cookie sheets in the back window of an economy car in the Deep South. Works fast, too, so you can do ~3 loads a day.

[Dicey]

I was going to say "share 'em", but it seems I'm late to the party. Hope the chickens enjoy them and that you get some nice, fresh eggs in return. BTW, thc chickens would probably enjoy the peelings from the other ten pounds just as much.

[Cromacster]

Boil them, mash them, stick em in a stew!

[jopiquant]

When it's not maybe so hot - homemade gnocchi is easy and delicious, and you could get servings for 6 out of 4 lb.

[CheapskateWife]

Gnocchi?  I would have never considered making it myself...sounds like a fun experiment!

[OSUBearCub]

First, I'd do a little dance!  Free food!

Then, I'd read this thread: http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/the-humble-potato/


:-)