The second recipe is a quick and easy bacon and egg pie. “I use a pastry square on a casserole lid or pie plate to make this. Cook half a cup of peas. Boil a potato and slice. Chop up a slice of bacon and an onion. Place the bacon and onion on the pastry first, then other ingredients. Beat two eggs and add a tablespoon of milk. Pour over the mixture then top with grated cheese. Seal the top by folding the corners over and cook in an oven for 25mins.”

The potato industry has gathered together a lot of information about our humble friend and our relationship with it. Here are some snippets from their website www.potatoes.co.nz.

93% of households cook potatoes at least once a week, 83% at least 2 times per week, and 44% at least 4 times per week. In other words, it’s still a basic part of our diet. The majority of people mash, roast, or boil their spuds.

Most people buy potatoes as a 4kg and 5kg bag from their supermarkets for convenience. Those who bought from fruit and vegetable specialist stores did so because of because of the low price, freshness, and quality (these are the oily rag shoppers!).

All we oily raggers need to know is that they are cheap, good for you, and because there are endless ways to serve them, as a culinary ingredient they remain a favourite of those feasting off the smell of an oily rag.

A gardening tip for potato growers – save a few potatoes either from your own garden or from a bag bought from the supermarket. Keep them in a dark place until they sprout and hey presto! you have seed potatoes and can plant them. Don’t forget to put some in old tubs or washing machine bowls on your porch if you want to beat the frosts.

When buying or growing potatoes, look for the Ilam, Hardy, or Desiree varieties – all are good for boiling, baking, deep frying and using in potato salads.

When frying cooked potatoes, dip each slice in flour before cooking in very hot fat – they will brown better and taste yummy.

Before baking potatoes, push a metal skewer through the centre. The skewer will act as a heat conductor and reduce the cooking time by half.

Buy potatoes in bulk and split with friends; you’ll be feasting for next to no cost.

Always remove potatoes from plastic bags as soon as possible after purchase. Don’t refrigerate, but store in a cool place – warmth causes potatoes to sprout. Exposure to light causes the growth of green patches which contain poisonous alkaloids. If present, cut them away. Don’t use potatoes that are completely green.

Here are some favourite recipes.

For potato cakes and croquettes, you need: 3 cups of mashed potatoes, pinch of nutmeg, 2 egg yolks, 1 beaten egg, 1 cup breadcrumbs, and salt and pepper. Beat mashed potato, egg yolks and seasonings together. Spread onto a plate to cool. Shape into cakes or croquettes or whatever takes your fancy. Dip into beaten egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. Let stand for 15 minutes before frying in oil until golden brown. Variations include adding grated onion and chopped parsley; sliced spring onion and chopped tomato; grated cheese; mashed carrot; or tinned fish.

Here’s a recipe for an easy to make potato salad. Take 1kg peeled and diced potatoes, 2 medium-sized peeled and diced carrots, 2 cup cooked peas, 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion, 1 teaspoon finely chopped mint, 2 cup mayonnaise and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cook potatoes and carrots in boiling salted water until tender, drain and cool. In a bowl combine mayonnaise, onion, mint and cayenne. Carefully fold in potatoes, carrots and peas. Chill before serving.

Baked potatoes. Scrub potatoes and dry thoroughly. Make sure you remove the dirt from the nooks and crannies – the sound of grit grinding between one’s molars is most unpleasant! Bake in a hot oven (200C) for about 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft when pressed together with one’s fingers. When cooked, remove from oven (a quick stint in the microwave will also do the trick) and cut a cross in the top. Press the sides to open up the cut, and place a knob of butter and a dash of seasoning onto the exposed flesh. Dig in! You can also top your baked potatoes with one or more of the following – grated cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, chopped chives, chopped mint, chopped parsley, chopped thyme, chopped spring onion, chopped gherkins, chopped green or red pepper, caraway seed, ground nutmeg, paprika.

Linda Mitchell from Te Puke says, “We empty a tube of sausage meat and a finely chopped onion into a glass dish, squish together, then microwave until cooked. Add tin of baked beans and spread over, then cover with mashed potato and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Grill until brown.”

M.E. from Auckland has a great way of stretching out chicken. “Buy a fresh or frozen whole chicken on special and cut it up yourself. It is so easy, and you get 2 full chicken breasts, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 drumsticks and a carcass for chicken stew and dumplings. Cooking for one, a chicken can last me up to two weeks. I also get 3 servings out of each breast by cubing, and using in gravy and steamed rice dishes like butter chicken, Thai curries or teriyaki chicken.”

M.E. also has a favourite recipe for rice, which must be one of the cheapest ingredients to use – which is also, no doubt, why it is one of the world’s most popular foods. “One of my fav’ cheap yummy meals is eggs and rice. Cut onions into thick slices and cook till translucent, and add scramble egg mix, salt to taste. Cook on medium so it doesn’t burn and barely stir so you have nice big fluffy scramble. Take off 30 secs to a min before you think it’s cooked because egg keeps cooking. Serve on fresh steamed rice.”

M.M. has this fantastic recipe. “It’s cheap, quick and delicious and is now a family favourite in my home. This recipe also freezes really well, so you can make it in advance or freeze the leftovers. Ingredients:
o Chicken legs and/or thighs
o Large tin of tomato soup
o Large carrot, sliced
o 10 mushrooms, chopped into chunks
o Large brown onion, thinly sliced
o 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs.

“All you have to do is place the ingredients in a casserole dish, mix, and then place the lid on the dish. Cook in a moderate oven for approximately 45 minutes – 1 hour. I usually stir it after 30 minutes to mix it all through. Serve with rice and beans or peas. You can also coat the chicken pieces in flour and brown them before placing in the casserole dish if you wish. This is such a hearty meal, you will love it!”

Cate from Hamilton says, “When we were both studying with a young family we discovered that adding a good heap of rolled oats to the mince mixture was a fantastic healthy ‘stretcher’ to bulk up the patties. Even better is to then add grated carrot or zucchini which puts moisture back into the patty and is unrecognisable to those fussy vegetable averse people!”

Onelady7 from Hamilton has a sausage pie recipe. “Use two of the tubes of sausage meat for a family size pie (or one for a smaller pie), a packet of puff pastry, some herbs of your choice, and some chopped and sautéed onions. Use a dish that can go in the oven. Put pastry on the bottom and sides, then layer the bottom with sausage meat. Cover with a layer of herbs & onions, then the rest of the meat. Put on the pastry top and bake until golden. Delicious! A family favourite of mine when we were growing up.”

JayFKay from Manurewa also works wonders with simple sausages. “Cook cubed potatoes. Fry sausages and sliced onions. Drain off the fat and cut sausages into 3. Make up a packet of Maggi Oxtail soup with 1½ cups of water, add to the pan with sausages, onions, potatoes and mixed frozen veges. Heat the mixture until the frozen veges are cooked through. More ingredients can be added to for more people. I love this recipe!”

Carol from Tauranga writes, “Always look at the price per kilo when buying meat – not the total price on the pack. Take into account whether it has the bone in or out.”

As a general guide the cheapest (to highest) cuts of meat is as follows: sausages, mince, gravy beef, blade steak, corned silverside, rolled roast, rump steak, BBQ steak, wiener schnitzel, sirloin steak, scotch fillet steak, and fillet steak. We think you can’t go past chicken for excellent value. At about $5 a kg for frozen chicken pieces, it’s about half the cost of mince which is generally the cheapest red meat.

The trick is to have the tin really hot to start with – and NOT to open the door while they are cooking! We have them with a meat roast – yum!