Column and photos by Ali Carter, Wisconsin Potato Growers Auxiliary
With jars of ready-to-eat potatoes in the pantry, dinner preparation is a breeze.
While I’ve been canning for many years using the water bath method, this was my first experience in creating shelf-stable food (safely stored at room temperature in a sealed container) with a pressure canner.
I am beyond excited about the culinary new world opened to us here in the Carter kitchen!
With a 16-quart pressure canner borrowed from my mother-in-law, and my husband, Mike, manning the equipment and assisting with the heavy lifting, we tackled a boxful of Superior potatoes. This resulted in jars upon jars of ready-to-eat potatoes sitting on our pantry shelves.
That one evening and little bit of effort we put into the canning process has simplified my life. Thanks to these jars, I have been able to set a meal on the table in an incredibly short amount of time!
My family has enjoyed our canned potatoes often in the past couple of weeks alongside marinated chicken and hamburgers. The potatoes fry up quickly and beautifully in a pan with a pat of butter and a bit of salt and pepper.
I have used them directly from the jar (with no need to warm them) as a deliciously creamy addition to our green salads, and the potato salad I made last weekend was a breeze with the canned potatoes.
If you are a canning pro, I imagine you can understand my excitement. If you are a canning novice, I encourage you to give it a try. Canning is a wonderful way to preserve potatoes.
There is an incredible sense of accomplishment when you place all those full jars on the shelf knowing that you and your family have access to healthy, nourishing food.
Recipe is adapted from SimplyCanning.com.
