We’ve got every reason to love potatoes: they’re solid, energy-packed, cheap, trusty orbs of carbs (which are filled with a surprising amount of antioxidants)! If prepared wrong, though, they can look and taste a little on the sad side. Nobody wants one of those undercooked roast potatoes – white, almost translucent, with all the crunch of baby food, sitting limply on their plates. You don’t however, need to break the bank with a fancy dauphinoise or gratin to make potatoes tasty, however. These simple recipes offer an uber-cheap alternative. Check out these Budget Potato Recipes: 5 Amazing Dishes You’ll Love!
1. Skin-On, Thick Cut Wedges
You can rustle up a whopping 2.5kg portion of this British pub classic for £2.30. A Tesco’s ‘all-rounder’ bag of 2.5kg potatoes costs 99p, and their cheapest olive oil is a 250ml bottle for £1.30. This is a perfect recipe for a busy weeknight, when there’s not much time to cook.
Simply slice the potatoes into long, thick chunks (and don’t peel them!) Drizzle with a tablespoon of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Whack them in the oven for about forty minutes, on 200 degrees and voila!
2. Turmeric Mash
Mash potato is a canvas for culinary expression! Make it into what you want. Mash potato is great because it simply includes cheap, essential ingredients: potato (of course), milk and butter. If your body craves some delicious comfort food, then go all-in with the low fat margarine. Throw in some cheese for good measure.
If you’re trying to eat a little healthier, then stick to milk, and give yourself an arm workout to try and MASH MASH MASH, those spuds to achieve the smooth texture butter helps with. If you’re vegan, you can of course incorporate plant-based milks.
To make, simply boil potatoes until soft, and mash whilst slowly adding milk, and/or butter. Adding a few teaspoons of turmeric can really add to the creaminess. It will also load the meal with antioxidants, creating a lovely nutty flavour!
3. Jerk Potato Patties
Once again, a recipe that demands only cheap essentials: potatoes, onion, eggs and oil. Jerk seasoning, on the other hand, can be found for under a pound. It’s packed with flavour, and will last you a while in the cupboard.
To make your patties, start slicing potatoes into small chunks, before boiling. As they boil, finely chop half an onion. Once the potatoes are soft, add to a bowl with the onion. Add an egg and mix until sticky (for a relatively cheap vegan alternative, use tahini to substitute egg as a binding agent). Add a couple of teaspoons of jerk seasoning. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. With your hands, shape the potato mix into small patties, about 1cm thick. Fry until browned.
4. Sweet Potato & Spinach Curry
I love this recipe. It’s hearty, warming, healthy, and all the ingredients are cheap and accessible. It’s also a dish you can make LOADS of, and simply freeze whatever you don’t eat on the evening you make it, saving you time later.
Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious, boasting a decent amount of protein, and an impressive stock of vitamins and minerals. For this recipe, check out my previous article on homemade vegan takeaways.
5. Loaded Potato Skins
Unless you’re rustling up the skin-on potato wedges, chances are, for the other recipes, the skin is relegated to the food waste caddy. Not only is this a waste of food, it’s also a waste of nutrients, since many vitamins and minerals actually live in the potato skin! Loaded potato skins can serve as a tasty, starchy snack, or as a side-dish.
To make, simply bake a potato. Once it’s out the oven, wait to cool, before halving, and scooping the potato out of its skin.
Now, for the fillings. A bit of grated cheese over it never goes amiss. Some shredded jackfruit also has its place. Could cauliflower wings could find a resting place in a bed of potato? The truth is, you can fill it with whatever your heart desires. Just remember to brush the inside of the skin with oil, before placing it back in the oven to bake, to prevent dryness. Re-bake the skins until they’re crispy, yummy and scrummy!
