With football season getting underway and Labor Day weekend on the horizon, I’m sharing one of my all-time favorite tater recipes, which is perfect for serving to guests at a get-together over the long weekend. Plus, you can indulge in cheesy potato skins for just 114 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving!

CHEESY POTATO SKINS with SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Ingredients:

4 medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
2 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
2 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced green onion tops
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake potatoes 50 minutes, or until tender. Let cool. Cut each potato in half. With a spoon, scoop out pulp leaving 1/4-inch of potato in each half. Cut each half in half again to form quarters. Season with salt and pepper. Bake potato quarters for 15 minutes. (This will crisp them up so that they can be picked up easily).

Mash 1 cup potato pulp with a potato masher (save remaining pulp for a later use). Stir in the sour cream, cheeses, tomatoes, green onions and parsley. Mixture will be sticky and hold together. With your hands, divide the mixture evenly between the potato skins, pressing the mixture into the skins. Sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper and bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Yields 16 stuffed potato skins.

Nutrition Information: Calories 114, Fat 2g, Carb 17g, Cholesterol 7mg, Vitamin C 8mg, Fiber 3g, Sodium 333mg, Potassium 244mg, Protein 4g.

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September 2nd, 2010
Tags: cheesy potato skins · cheesy potato skins with sundried tomatoes · football potato food · labor day potatoes · potato skins · United States Potato Board

The submission window has closed and voting is now open in the potato recipe contest, so check out the entries on the Potatoes, Taters and Spuds Facebook page and cast a vote for your favorite! Voting will be open until September 6th and you can vote for each entry a maximum of once per day. With so many delicious looking recipes, it’s a tough decision!

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September 1st, 2010
Tags: facebook recipe contest · potato recipe contest · recipe contest · United States Potato Board

I’m really excited to share a brand new recipe today, which is perfect for the busy back-to-school season. This recipe for Quick & Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes is great for so many reasons. With just 30 minutes prep time, you can set the slow cooker in the morning and forget about it until you get home at dinner time. How good does coming home to a dinner that’s completely ready and piping hot sound? And with three unique flavor variations, you can mix things up so that this is a meal your family will never get tired of!

Quick & Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken and Potatoes

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: Can range from 4 hours to 8 hours, depending on temperature set on slow cooker

Ingredients:

4 small (2 pounds) bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence (or combination of dried thyme, fennel, basil and savory)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 ¼ pounds small red potatoes
¾ cup frozen, thawed pearl onions
1 cup small baby carrots
¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces small baby bella or white mushrooms
Chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Directions:

Combine the Herbs de Provence, garlic salt and pepper on a dinner plate. Spoon flour on to second dinner plate.  Coat each chicken breast in the herb mixture; then dredge well in flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is golden brown on both sides (approximately 3-4 minutes per side). Cook chicken in two batches if necessary so as not to crowd the pan.

Place chicken in a large slow cooker and add remaining ingredients except fresh thyme. Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. Sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories: 430, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 400mg, Potassium: 771mg, Carbohydrates: 43g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Protein: 45g, Vitamin A:  90%, Vitamin C: 60%, Calcium: 4%, Iron: 20%

VARIATIONS:

Mexican: Omit Herbs de Provence and sprinkle chicken with 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon dried oregano. Add 1 cup green or red salsa and 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies. Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro before serving, if desired.

Mediterranean: Omit Herbs de Provence and sprinkle chicken with 2 teaspoons garam masala, an Indian seasoning found in the spice section of major retailers. Add 1 cup rinsed and drained canned garbanzo beans, ½ cup golden raisins and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Italian: Omit Herbs de Provence and sprinkle chicken with 2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning. Add ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not oil packed).

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August 27th, 2010
Tags: back to school recipe · chicken and potato recipe · chicken and potatoes · crock pot chicken · crock pot potatoes · crock pot recipes · quick and healthy slow cooker chicken and potatoes · slow cooker chicken · slow cooker potatoes · slow cooker recipes · United States Potato Board

One of my friends recently made the USPB’s recipe for Pork and Potato Verde and let me tell you, this is a delicious dish! This makes a hearty meal and for just $2.42 per serving it’s a steal at the same time.  My recommendation: don’t skimp on avocado on top! If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to scoop up avocado in every bite!

Pork and Potato Verde

$2.42 per serving
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (16-oz.) jar salsa verde
1 (4-oz.) can diced green chiles
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning (such as McCormick)
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup rinsed and drained black beans

Heat oil in a large saucepan; add pork and brown on all sides. Add salsa, chiles, broth and seasoning to pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.  Add potatoes; cook for 30 minutes more or until pork is very tender. Uncover; add green onions and beans and cook for about 5 minutes more or until sauce has thickened.

Makes four servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 560 calories; 15 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; 0 g trans fat; 160 mg cholesterol; 1300 mg sodium; 41 g carbohydrates; 6 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 1465 mg potassium; 62 g protein; 4% DV vitamin A; 45% DV vitamin C; 6% DV calcium; 30% DV iron.

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August 24th, 2010
Tags: healthy pork and potato recipe · healthy pork recipe · pork and potato soup · pork and potato verde · potato and pork soup · United States Potato Board

Good news spud lovers: we’ve extended the deadline for entries in the potato recipe contest on the Potatoes, Taters & Spuds Facebook page until August 30th!

That means you have until then to submit you best quick and healthy potato recipe for a chance to see it featured in the December issue of Family Circle magazine! Not to mention George Foreman healthy cooking appliances for winners too!

Need some recipe inspiration? Check out a few of our latest submissions!

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August 20th, 2010
Tags: family circle · george foreman · healthy recipe contest · potato recipe contest · recipe contest · United States Potato Board