The potato is a native of South and Central America and was brought to Europe by Spanish Conquistadors and English explorers. Distrusted at first by Europeans, the potato was eventually recognised as being not only a more reliable and hardier crop than wheat, but it could also yield up to three times more calories per acre, and as such was a major contributor to the 18th century surge in the European population.
From Europe, the potato spread to Africa and Asia through European colonisation and trade and has become a staple of every cuisine. They can be steamed, boiled, fried and baked in endless variety and feature in salads, soups, stews and casseroles.
Fresh potatoes are readily available and have a long shelf-life, but canned new potatoes are handy to have on hand and, being already cooked, can be eaten as they are in salads, and reduce the cooking time when included in cooked dishes.
Decanted into a sealable container in the canning water, canned new potatoes can be kept in the fridge for several days, though they should be drained and rinsed before eating. However, a word of WARNING: canned new potatoes should NEVER be put in the microwave as they tend to burst.
The following recipes can be made entirely from Standby Vegetables and Pantry Essentials including some Crisper Essentials.
Potatoes and canned new potatoes are used extensively in this website. To find them just enter ‘potato’ in ‘Search’.
Recipes:
Quick Side Dishes
§ Rinse and halve ½–¾ cup canned new potatoes. Toss in 1–2 tbsp. mayonnaise, parsley and dried onion or garlic granules.
§ Steam or boil ½–¾ cup canned new potatoes until heated through. Drain and stir through 1–2 tsp. basil pesto and 1–2 tsp. olive oil.
§ Sauté 1 tbsp. diced bacon in olive oil. Add ½–¾ cup halved canned new potatoes and sauté until heated through.
§ Melt 1–2 tsp. butter and stir in mild curry powder or paprika. Add ½–¾ cup chopped canned new potatoes and sauté until heated through.
§ Toss ½–¾ cup canned new potatoes in 2 tsp. olive oil, garlic granules and parsley or chives. Oven bake for 20 minutes.
Mushroom and Potato Salad
- 3–4 button mushrooms, quartered
- 1 cup canned potatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp. diced bacon (or 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil (or mayonnaise)
- 1–2 tsp. lemon juice
- Pepper, garlic and parsley
- Mix together mushrooms and potatoes
- Stir in diced bacon or chopped egg
- Whisk 2 tsp. lemon juice into olive oil (or 1 tsp. lemon juice into mayonnaise)
- Stir in pepper, garlic and parsley
- Drizzle over salad and stir
Tip: to make hard-boiled egg, see Eggs for Breakfast
Bean and Potato Salad
- 1 x 125gm can four bean mix, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup canned potatoes, quartered
- ¼ cup red capsicum (or red onion), chopped
- 1–2 tbsp. mayonnaise
- Garlic, pepper and parsley
- Mix together beans, potatoes and capsicum
- Sprinkle salad with herbs and spices
- Stir mayonnaise into salad
Creamy Potato and Bacon Soup
- ¾ cup canned potatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp. diced bacon
- 1 tbsp. chopped onion
- ¾ cup low-fat milk
- 1 tsp. chicken stock powder
- 1 tbsp. instant mashed potatoes
- Pepper, paprika, parsley and chives
- Shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
- Butter or margarine
- Sauté onion in melted butter with pepper and paprika
- Add diced bacon and sauté
- Add chopped potatoes with parsley and chives and sauté to heat through
- Add milk with stock powder and slowly bring to the boil
- Simmer for 10 minutes stirring often
- Stir in instant mashed potatoes
- Continue to simmer and stir until soup thickens
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional)
Creamed Vegetables
- 2–3 frozen broccoli florets
- ½ cup frozen mixed vegetables
- ½ cup canned potatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup low-fat milk
- 1 tsp. cornflour
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- Oregano, pepper and parsley
- Butter or margarine
- In a small saucepan bring 1½ cups water to the boil, add frozen vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes
- Return water to the boil, add potatoes and simmer for a further 2 minutes
- Drain vegetables and set aside
- Dissolve cornflour in cold milk and add Parmesan cheese
- Melt butter in pan
- Stir in milky mixture with spices and simmer, stirring, until thickened
- Return vegetables and stir through
- Let stand for 2 minutes
Vegetable Hot Pot
- 2–3 frozen broccoli florets
- ½ cup frozen mixed vegetables
- ½ cup canned potatoes, halved
- Olive oil
- 2 tsp. basil pesto
- In a small saucepan bring 1½ cups water to the boil.
- Add frozen vegetables and simmer for 5 minutes
- Return water to the boil, add potatoes and simmer for further 2–3 minutes
- Drain and return to saucepan
- Stir in olive oil and pesto
Vegetable Korma
- 1 tbsp. chopped onion
- ¼ cup diced tomatoes (or 2 tsp. tomato paste with ¼ cup water)
- ¾ cup frozen mixed vegetables
- ¾ cup canned potatoes, halved
- 165ml can light coconut milk
- ½ tsp. chicken stock powder
- Mild curry powder and garlic
- Canola oil
- In a small saucepan sauté onions with spices
- Add diced tomatoes with stock powder and sauté until reduced
- Add frozen vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes adding a little water if necessary
- Add potatoes
- Add coconut milk
- Simmer for a further 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender
Variations:
- substitute a 125gm can chickpeas, drained, for ½ cup mixed vegetables and/or canned potatoes
- for a low-fat option, thoroughly blend 2 tbsp. almond meal with ½ cup water in a bullet blender and substitute for the coconut milk
Vegetable Frittata
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. diced bacon (optional)
- 1 tbsp. chopped onion
- ¼ cup canned potatoes, chopped
- ½ cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- Shredded mozzarella (optional)
- Pepper and parsley
- Oil spray
- Spray a small pie dish with oil spray (optional)
- Place chopped onion and mixed vegetables in the pie dish and microwave for 2 minutes
- Add the chopped potatoes and diced bacon to the pie dish
- Beat the egg with the Parmesan cheese and spices and stir into vegetables
- Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella (optional)
- Bake in a pre-heated moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 20 minutes
Spinach Frittata
- 1 egg
- 1–2 portions frozen spinach
- ½ cup canned potatoes, chopped
- 1 tbsp. chopped onion
- 2 tbsp. diced bacon (optional)
- 1 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese
- Shredded mozzarella (optional)
- Pepper and garlic granules
- Oil spray
- Spray a small pie dish with oil spray (optional)
- Place chopped onion and frozen spinach in the pie dish and microwave for 1 minute
- Add the chopped potatoes and diced bacon to the pie dish
- Beat the egg with the Parmesan cheese and spices and stir into vegetables
- Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella (optional)
- Bake in a pre-heated moderate (175°C) toaster oven for 20 minutes
Bean and Potato Curry
- ½ cup canned potatoes, halved
- 125gm can four-bean-mix or chickpeas, drained
- 1 tbsp. chopped onion
- ¼ cup diced tomatoes
- ½ tsp. chicken stock powder
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- Mild curry powder
- Chilli, ginger and pepper
- Canola oil
- In a small saucepan sauté onions with spices
- Add potato and beans and heat through
- Add tomatoes with stock powder and lemon juice and sauté to reduce
- Add ½ cup boiling water
- Simmer until tender (approx. 20 minutes) adding more water as required
Tomato, Peas and Potato Curry
- ¾ cup canned potatoes
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. chopped onion
- Garlic, chilli, ginger and coriander
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- Canola oil
- In a small saucepan sauté onions with garlic, chilli and spices
- Add diced tomatoes and sauté
- Add peas and potatoes and simmer for 15–20 minutes, adding a little water if necessary, until potatoes are tender
- Stir in lemon juice
Variation: substitute a 125gm can chickpeas for the frozen peas