Use it up · Vegetables

Potatoes

Have extra potatoes? Here’s how to choose, store and prep potatoes, plus 21 family recipes to use it all up, best matches first.

🍽 See the recipes 🧺 Pick a few things you have

🛒 Choosing it

Choose firm potatoes without sprouts, soft spots or green patches. Russets bake and mash fluffy; red and gold potatoes hold their shape in salads and soups.

Best season: Harvested in summer and fall; stored potatoes are sold all year. Timing varies by region.

🧊 Storing it

Pantry: About 1 week in a cool, dark, dry place away from sun; longer somewhere cooler
Freezer: Raw potatoes don't freeze well; cooked mashed potatoes do

Cut away any green parts or sprouts before cooking.

Keep the fridge at 40°F or below and the freezer at 0°F. Freezer times are for best quality; food kept frozen at 0°F stays safe. When in doubt, throw it out. Times from Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University System and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

🔪 Prepping it

Scrub well. Peel or not, cut into even pieces, and start in cold, salted water for boiling.

🥣 Make it from scratch

Homemade staples that use potatoes:

Potato bread

🌱 Grow it

You can grow your own: potatoes. The Food Garden Planner shows how much to plant for your family and when it comes in.

🌱 Plan a garden with it →

📊 Nutrition per 100 g

Russet potatoes. 100 g is about 3 1/2 ounces.

Calories	79 kcal	4%
Protein	2.1 g	4%
Total fat	0.1 g	0%
Saturated fat	0.0 g	0%
Total carbohydrate	18 g	7%
Dietary fiber	1.3 g	5%
Total sugars	0.6 g
Sodium	5.0 mg	0%
Calcium	13 mg	1%
Iron	0.9 mg	5%
Potassium	417 mg	9%

% Daily Value for adults (FDA). From USDA FoodData Central 170027 (SR Legacy).

🍽 Recipes that use it up

21 recipes, the ones that use the most potatoes first.

Plan them into your week in the meal planner, or find recipes for two or three things at once with the “What can I make?” picker.

Storage times and buying tips are general guides from the sources below; follow any date or instructions on the package. Cook meat, poultry, fish and eggs to the USDA safe temperatures in each recipe.