Dehydrated Potatoes and Au Gratin Recipe

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I for one can make a very good breakfast with nothing except fried potatoes. I know I have heard how fried foods are not good for me but I still enjoy a dish of those “Greasy” spuds whenever I can.

I would like to pass on this dehydration recipe to visitors to the site since they full easily into the topic of survival foods. You can package them with your food saver and store a few packs in your vehicles emergency food supply next to your bottled water. I personally have purchased some of the commercial dehydrated versions and they really do not taste that bad.

According to how you slice and dry the potatoes you could use them for anything from frying to making au gratin potatoes. Here is the procedure that I would recommend using.

You start off by selecting firm not over ripe potatoes. Proceed to peal and wash them well. Take and slice your potatoes 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch thick. My wife’s food processor works great on this step. With it I am guaranteed to get even cuts each time on every piece. If you desired you could slice them as the shoestring type 3/8 of an inch thick also. Another of my favorite slices is the grated or the diced cuts. It all boils down to how the dried potatoes will actually be used.

As a pretreatment for your potatoes you will want to steam blanch them over hot water containing approximately 1 tsp. of sodium bisulfate for each cup of water used. Blanch them for about 4 to 6 minutes or until they become translucent but still remain firm.

After this step rinse them very well in some cold water in order to remove any remaining starch. Your drying Temperature should be around 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 to 2 hours or until they are completely done.

You can grate the slices for later re-hydration for use as hash brown potatoes. Now as an added bonus here is a quick recipe on making one of my favorite dishes – Au Gratin Potatoes.

Ingredients required:

3 cups diced dehydrated potatoes (See above)
6 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation of recipe:

1. Place potatoes in a shallow baking dish.
2. In a small saucepan over a low heat melt 6 tablespoons of butter.
3. Take the butter and add the flour to it. Stir well in order to blend together.
4. Gradually add the milk.
5. Continue cooking and stirring continuously until a thick sauce is formed.
6. Add the cheese and stir until the cheese melts.
7. Pour the sauce over the potatoes that are in the baking dish and mix them gently.
8. Bake potatoes at 400° for 30 to 40 minutes. Final product should be golden brown.

There you have a perfect meal of Au Gratin potatoes. I myself could eat this as a main meal!