Potatoes are one of my favorite foods to dehydrate. \u00a0They are just so versatile, and rehydrate really well. \u00a0Once dried, they shrink and loose weight. \u00a0There won’t be an issue with storing them for long time when stored correctly and no worry about sprouting or molding. \u00a0Usually we purchase a few hundred pounds of potatoes in the fall when they are fresh, then can\/freeze\/dehydrate them to use the rest of the year – then we don’t’ have to buy any potatoes all year. \u00a0I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of hauling around sacks of potatoes each month. \u00a0I’d rather get it all done at once.<\/p>\n
We dehydrate in itty bitty cubes and bite sized cubes, slices, shreds (hashbrowns) and mashed. \u00a0We wash and peel (or not) the potatoes before cutting them how we want them. It’s important to keep your dices and slices as uniform as possible for even drying. \u00a0To aid in this, because I do not have mad knife skills, I use a mandoline for slicing (but DO please use caution. \u00a0I can’t tell you how many times I have almost lost a finger using this thing. \u00a0Well, maybe it’s just me. \u00a0Just, be careful). \u00a0And for dicing I use a french fry cutter. \u00a0Yup. \u00a0I run them through the cutter using the small grate and the larger one. \u00a0Once potatoes are sliced lengthwise, I cut them into dices very easily. \u00a0I keep a cutting board over one side of my sink so as soon as I slice or dice my potatoes, I can slide them right into a sink full of cold water and a bit of lemon juice to keep the potatoes from turning brown.<\/p>\n
To make\u00a0hash browns, I typically do not peel the potatoes – I save all my oddly shaped potatoes that would be hard to peel for this (we often buy potato seconds, which include imperfect potatoes). \u00a0I run them through the food processor using my shredding blade, steam them for 4-6 minutes, dunk them in ice water, shake them out and lay them in a somewhat thin layer over the dehydrator trays. \u00a0Once dry I break up the sheet of dry potatoes and store them.<\/p>\n
The procedure is the same for dices and slices. \u00a0Steam, stop the cooking in an ice bath (I like to fill one side of my sink with ice cold water from the well to dunk the potatoes in after they come out of the steamer, then set my dehydrator trays on the other side of the sink so the water can drip off easily as I put them on the tray, without making a huge, wet mess anywhere else), set in the dehydrator, and let them start to dry.<\/p>\n
Mashed potatoes are easy – simply cook potatoes until soft. \u00a0Mash. \u00a0Let cool slightly, then spread over dehydrator trays. \u00a0Flip halfway through drying providing it has a leathery texture on top (you may want to line your trays with plastic wrap to help flip them easily – after the first flip, remove the plastic wrap and pitch it. \u00a0The sheet of mashed potatoes will be dry enough there won’t be any issue with it sticking to the tray or falling through). \u00a0Dry until crisp. \u00a0Break up the sheet of mashed potatoes and store – or run them through the food processor until they are flakes or a powder, then store in a jar. \u00a0Do not add milk, butter, or anything else -just dry plain potatoes. \u00a0You can add other things when you rehydrate following typical directions for rehydrating any dry potato flakes. \u00a0 I have no scientific reason to explain this, but I do find that if you leave the trays in the fridge overnight to chill, the texture of rehydrated potatoes is much like that of the boxed variety of the store. \u00a0You may want to give that a try if you have room in your fridge.<\/p>\n
Potatoes should dry at 125F until crisp – can be 8-10 hours or more. \u00a0To rehydrate, pour enough boiling water to cover potatoes, cover with a lid and let them sit for about 20 minutes. \u00a0Drain and proceed to use. \u00a0Cubes may benefit from 20 minutes in boiling water, vs. being covered with water that will gradually cool off. \u00a0If you are making hash browns, I like to roll them in a towel after rehydrating to remove as much moisture as possible. \u00a0I actually prefer rehydrated hash browns vs. making them fresh.<\/p>\n
To use: casseroles, potatoes au gratin, cheesy potatoes, breakfast hashbrowns and breakfast casseroles, soups. \u00a0I even have good luck rehydrating cubes and roasting them after coating them with olive oil and seasonings of some sort (such as dry onion soup mix<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\t\t