Holiday Spirit

October has come and gone and Thanksgivings is on its way. So to get into the holiday spirit The Idaho Potato Museum would like to share some tasty potato recipes you can use to make new exciting dishes for Thanksgiving dinner.

Chef Meg's Baked Potato Soup

Created by: Chef_Meg on Sparkrecipes.com

Ingredients

7 large baked potatoes
3 T butter, unsalted
1 1/2 c onion, diced fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c celery, diced fine
3 T flour
2 c chicken stock, low sodium
4 c skim or 1% milk
1/4 t white pepper
2 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 T Scallions, chopped
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded


Directions

Remove skin from the baked potatoes and chop into 1-inch cubes. In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium until melted and frothy. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Add celery and garlic to the saucepan and continue to "sweat" the vegetables for 3 minutes. Lower the heat slightly so the vegetables do not brown. Add flour to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon and cook for 2 minutes; make sure to scrape the spoon against the bottom and edges of the saucepan to pick up any of the mixture that might of settled on the bottom of the pan. Slowly whisk in the stock until all is incorporated. Add diced potatoes to the mixture. Slowly add the milk. Once the milk is added do not boil the mixture and stir occasionally. Cook soup over medium to low heat for about 20 minutes. While soup is cooking, cook the bacon until crisp in a skillet. Remove bacon from pan and blot excess fat with a paper towel. Crumble bacon and set aside for garnish. If you prefer a smooth soup, puree the mixture using a food processor, blender or immersion blender. Serve in warm bowls with a garnish of chopped scallion, a pinch of bacon, and 3/4 tablespoon of cheese.
Recipe makes 15 one cup servings

Number of Servings:
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Hearty Potato and Sausage Bake
Created by: Anonymous Source

Ingredients

1 lb red potatoes, cut in halves or quarters
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 lb baby carrots
2 Tbsp margarine, melted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb cooked sausage (Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray 13X9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine potatoes, onion, carrots, butter, salt, garlic powder, thyme, and pepper in large bowl. Toss to coat evenly.

Place potato mixture into prepared pan; bake, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add sausage to potato mixture; mix well. Continue to bake 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.

4 - 6 servings

Number of Servings: 6

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Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes
From: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients
4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
8 green onions, sliced, divided

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C).
Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon. Bake for another 15 minutes.

If you have recipes you've created feel free to share them with us! you can comment on this post or email us recipes and photos of you eating your favorite potato meal to Idpotatomuseum@hotmail.com