It’s easy to find sales on large 5 or 10-pound bags of potatoes. The problem often comes when trying to use them all before they start sprouting out of control. Freezing whole potatoes isn’t the best solution as they tend to get shriveled and inedible that way. So how can you take advantage of bulk sales and still use all of your potatoes? Here are some ideas to try out:

Make Sure You Wash Them First

If you’ve got a huge 10 pound bag of potatoes and you don’t want to go through the hassle of hand-washing them all, try this trick from the Happy Housewife and throw them in the dishwasher on a quick rinse cycle. You can take a scrubber to the nooks and crannies after if you still need to.

Mash Them

Here’s what Good Cheap Eats does with their potatoes when they want to save them mashed:

Mash tender, boiled potatoes until smooth. Beat in 8 ounces of cream cheese for every five pounds of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Then, I divide the mixture into meal-sized portions, dot with butter, wrap in foil and freeze. When I’m ready to serve, I thaw the pan overnight and then reheat in the oven, 30 minutes at 350 depending on how cold they are to being with.

Freezer Hash Browns

Simply bake up as many potatoes as you’d like. Next, peel them once they’re cool and shred them with a cheese grater. This is where the freezer comes in. Here’s how Heavenly Homemakers does it.

To freeze them, lay them flat on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet into the freezer for a couple of hours or until the potatoes are frozen, then transfer them into freezer bags to cook up when you’re ready. Oh so convenient!

[Then] If the hashbrowns are frozen, you can cook them the same way as if they were not frozen…it will just take a few more minutes. Cook them on one side [in a cast iron skillet] for 4-5 minutes, then turn. Try not to turn them too much so they don’t get mushy. Cook until the potatoes are golden brown and slightly crispy.

Freezer Home Fries

Follow the recipe above except that you should just chop them instead of grating them before you throw them in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat them, just cook them up on the stove with some butter, onions and peppers.

What are some of your best methods for saving potatoes for use when you’ve bought them in bulk and don’t want them to go bad? Please share your best ideas with us in the comments section below!

Source: An Oregon Cottage