I hope all of you are putting up emergency stores against power outages, extreme weather events and natural disasters.
I’d never thought about dehydrating potatoes until recently, when I read Maggie’s
blog post. I prefer to eat fresh foods, so wouldn’t normally bother with dehydrated potatoes. But for an emergency pantry, or if I found myself suddenly having to make a few pantry meals for unexpected guests, having some home made dehydrated potatoes on hand would be welcome.
For these I bought 4 large French fingerling potatoes, which are a very pretty pink-red color. Here are the simple steps to dehydrate your own potatoes:
- Wash potatoes
- Bring large pot of water to the boil
- Use a mandoline to make uniform slices
- Blanch potato slices for a couple of minutes
- Drain blanched potatoes in a fine mesh colander
- Place slices on dehydrator trays
- Dehydrate….until dry!
- When slices are completely dry and cooled, store them in glass jars
Every machine is different. I used the “Medium” setting, which is a fan and medium heat. They were done in around four hours.
These are perfect for scalloped potatoes, gratins, casseroles, Rösti and other potato pancake dishes. Using a mandoline is important because it produces uniform slices which dry evenly, and when it comes time to use them, will cook evenly. I think you’ll agree that the end result is surprisingly attractive.
