Potatoes are versatile, filling, and inexpensive which means they are the perfect food for a frugal person.

Today the wonderfully charming Holly Sutton will be sharing her top 3 favorite potato recipes.

3 Potato Recipes You Can’t Miss… 

“As a law student, I really don’t have that much money to spend on food. Since I practically grew up in the kitchen with my Mom and sister, though, this can be a bit of problem. You see, I have a confession to make – I – LOVE – FOOD. I mean, it’s fantastic. The preparation of it is fun and relaxing. The eating of it is, naturally, lovely. And even creating a fun presentation of the food can be an exciting challenge. As a foodie on a budget, I don’t indulge my desire to spend money on any and every food that I want, but I don’t completely skimp either. Instead, I choose to spend my money on meals that I can stretch. I do this by making foods that I can repurpose. Basically, I often make foods that can be converted into one or two other meals. That way, I don’t get sick of eating the same thing repeatedly and waste leftovers.

Now seems like a good time to confess that I usually cook for an army. It’s just how I was raised. Personally, I like cooking that way because it saves time in the end. You get the kitchen all messy less frequently, and you can easily reheat something in the microwave at the end of a busy day. If these kinds of meals sound interesting to you, read below for some specific foods and meals.

Printable PDF of all 3 potato recipes

ROUND 1:  MASHED POTATOES (Serves 12) Cost: $.27 per serving

So I absolutely LOVE mashed potatoes! I’m not saying that I have them every day (my waistline wouldn’t allow it), but I make them periodically. What’s great about potatoes is that they are a filling and relatively cheap side dish. Furthermore, it’s great to make a whole bunch of them because you can repurpose them in later meals.

Ingredients:

1. Russet Potatoes – 6
2. Milk – ½ c. (or to preferred consistency)
3. Butter – ¼ c. (or to preferred taste)
4. Salt & Pepper – To Taste

Instructions:

1. Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil.
2. Wash and peel the potatoes. Then, cut them into smaller pieces.
3. Boil the potatoes until they are tender. This will probably be around 20-30 minutes.  Drain the water. Then, mash the potatoes.
4. Add the milk, butter, and salt and pepper to the mashed potatoes.

Notes:

1. You can add some dried parsley to give the potatoes some color.
2. You can add some cloves of garlic to make garlic mashed potatoes. To do this, you can either mince fresh garlic, or you can mince/mash garlic that you’ve roasted in the oven. You might want to add some oregano or Italian seasoning with these potatoes.

To Make Healthier:

1. Use skim or 2% milk.
2. Use margarine instead of butter.

Cost:

*Assuming an average russet potato is 8 oz.

ROUND 2.1:  POTATO PANCAKES (Serves 6) Cost: $.71 per serving

Potato pancakes are a great and easy way to use up any mashed potatoes that you didn’t finish at lunch or dinner. Also, you can season the heck out of them according to your own taste. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1. Mashed Potatoes – 4 ½ c.
2. Onions – 3 (or to preferred taste)
3. Butter – 6 T.
4. Eggs – 6
5. Flour – ¾ c.
6. Salt & Pepper – To Taste

Instructions:

1. Chop the onions.
2. Sauté the chopped onions in the butter.
3. Mix all of the ingredients together.
4. Form 12 potato patties.
5. In the same pan you sautéed the onions in, fry the potato patties.

Notes:

1. These are great with ketchup.
2. If you like a really sharp onion flavor, you don’t have to sauté the onions. You can just mix them in the patties freshly chopped.

To Make Healthier:

1. Instead of frying the potato patties on the stove, you can bake them in the oven. Bake them 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees on a greased baking sheet.
2. You can sauté the onions in margarine or olive oil instead of butter.

Cost:

*Assuming an average onion is 8 oz.

ROUND 2.2:  SHEPHARD’S PIE (Serves 6) Cost: $1.71 per serving

If you don’t want to make potato pancakes or if you just have that many leftover mashed potatoes, shepherd’s pie is a great way to use them up. Shepherd’s pie is, actually, a great way to use up any random veggies in your fridge as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1. Mashed Potatoes – 5 c.
2. Shredded Cheddar Cheese – ½ c.
3. Carrots – 5
4. Vegetable Oil – 1 T.
5. Onion – 1
6. Ground Beef – 1 Lb.
7. Flour – 2 T.
8. Ketchup – 1 T.
9. Worcestershire – ¼ c.
10. Brown Gravy Packet – 1
11. Salt & Pepper – To Taste

Instructions:

1. Add ½ of the shredded cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes. Set aside.
2. Clean and chop the carrots into smaller pieces.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Boil the carrots for around 15-20 minutes. Drain the water. Then, mash the carrots. Set aside.
4. Sauté the onions in the vegetable oil.
5. Add the ground beef to the sautéed onions. Cook until browned. Drain excess fat.
6. Add flour to onion and beef mixture. Then, add in ketchup, Worcestershire, and prepared brown gravy packet (brown gravy packet plus 1 c. water). Bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Put the onion and beef mixture in a 2-quart casserole dish. Next, add a layer of mashed carrots. Then, add a layer of mashed potatoes. Last, add on the second half of the shredded cheddar cheese.
8. Bake for around 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes:

1. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make a mashed carrot layer, you can add in a number of other items. For instance, you can top the onion and beef mixture with frozen peas and carrots or frozen mixed veggies. Really, use up any number of tasty veggies that you might have lounging in your fridge.
2. You can substitute the beef gravy packet for beef broth. This decision depends on what consistency you like in a Shepherd’s pie.
3. As with most recipes, this is heavily dependent on personal taste.  You can easily change the meat to veggie to mashed potato ratio. Change it according to your tastes and health preferences.

To Make Healthier:

1. You can substitute the ground beef with ground turkey. This will, however, be more expensive. The same applies for using a leaner ground beef, which is what I included in my calculations below.
2. You can substitute the vegetable oil for olive oil.
3. You don’t have to have cheese in this dish. It is simply the traditional way to make shepherd’s pie. At the very least, you could certainly remove the amount mixed in with the mashed potato layer, which would save you an extra step, too.

Cost:

* Assuming an average carrot is .17 lb., assuming an average onion is 8 oz.

* All prices are calculated from King Soopers website“

Thank you Holly!

What are your favorite potato recipes?

original image from Beaverton Historical Society

P.S. MyFreezeasy has been a total game-changer for our family! 10/10 recommend! CLICK HERE to learn about it