Potatoes can be used as a main dish or as a side dish; it is necessary as an ingredient for salads, hot and cold appetizers. Potatoes are easy to boil or steam, but they are quicker to cook in the microwave. You don't even need to wash the pan, all you need is a plastic bag for successful cooking.
Potatoes in a package: advantages and cooking features
Baked potatoes are a healthy, hearty and low-calorie dish that is quite suitable for everyday meals. Tubers are rich in vitamins B and C, contain a lot of potassium, magnesium, sodium and other useful micro and macro elements. Potatoes are quickly digested and provide a feeling of fullness for a long time. The nutritional value of baked tubers does not exceed 80 kcal per 100 g.
Potatoes are prepared in a variety of ways. Nutritionists recommend that you give up deep-fried frying, this adds unnecessary calories to the dish. During cooking, some of the useful elements are washed out, and prolonged stewing contributes to the destruction of vitamins. In order for the tubers to retain their valuable properties, it is better to cook them as quickly as possible, without pouring oil or water. The most convenient way is to bake in the microwave. Depending on the type of tubers and the oven model, the process will take from 8 to 20 minutes.
To prevent the potatoes from drying out and becoming tough, they are placed in a plastic bag. There are special options for cooking in the oven or microwave, but if they are not available, you can use a regular breakfast bag. It is important that it is not too thin or torn during the cooking process.
Potatoes can be peeled or peeled. Small tubers are baked whole or halved, large ones are cut into several parts. The only seasoning needed is salt. If desired, you can add ground black pepper, bay leaves, dry or fresh herbs to the bag. To prevent the tubers from getting dry, you should add a little butter or vegetable oil to the bag. Ready potatoes can be supplemented with fried onions, herbs, cracklings, grated cheese or sour cream sauce.
Jacket potatoes: step-by-step cooking
The simplest recipe that does not require additional ingredients. Young tubers with a not too thick skin are suitable for cooking. The exact baking time depends on the brand of the microwave and the type of potato.
Wash medium tubers with a brush or hard plastic sponge and rinse thoroughly. You do not need to peel the potatoes, but it is better to remove damaged areas and eyes. Cut small potatoes in half, divide larger ones into 4-6 parts.
Fold the root vegetables in a plastic bag, add salt, shake well. If desired, you can add herbs, dry or fresh: parsley, dill, celery, basil. Tie the bag tightly and place it on a plate or directly on the glass tray of the microwave. Make sure the edges of the bag do not come into contact with metal parts, otherwise the polyethylene will melt when heated.
Turn on the microwave at full power for 10 minutes. Small tubers with a high starch content cook faster; larger, dense potatoes may take extra time to bake. Put the finished potatoes in a bowl, pour over with vegetable oil and stir. You can add coarsely chopped green onion feathers, they will make the tubers especially fragrant. The best addition to this dish is sauerkraut with a little sunflower oil.
Vegetable side dish: a step by step recipe
In the package you can prepare a delicious side dish for meat, fish, sausages. The proportions of the ingredients are changed as desired, in addition to carrots, peeled zucchini, eggplants, and bell peppers should be added to the potatoes.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of young potatoes;
- 2 medium-sized juicy carrots;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 1 onion;
- salt;
- freshly ground black pepper;
- refined vegetable oil.
Wash the potatoes thoroughly and rub with a wire brush. Cut out the eyes and lesions. Pat dry the tubers with a paper towel and cut into halves or quarters. Peel other vegetables, cut the onion into thin half rings, carrots into slices, garlic into small slices.
Put prepared vegetables in a special baking bag, pour in vegetable oil, add salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shake the bag well to distribute the oil and spices evenly.
Put a bag of potatoes on a tray, make several punctures to release hot air. Bake for about 10 minutes at full power. Check readiness by piercing the tubers with a knife. If the potatoes are hard, continue baking.
Country style potatoes: tasty and simple
In the microwave, you can cook a complete meal that vegetarians will surely enjoy. The calorie content depends on the fat content of the sour cream and the amount of added oil.
Ingredients:
- 10-12 small young potatoes;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 7 tbsp. l. refined vegetable oil;
- 150 ml sour cream;
- 1 tsp mixtures of dry marjoram, oregano, thyme;
- 3 green onion feathers;
- fresh basil;
- salt;
- ground black pepper.
Wash the potatoes with a brush, rinse thoroughly and dry. Young tubers do not need to be peeled; the peel contains many vitamins and valuable microelements. Pierce each potato with a fork in several places. Put the potatoes in a bag, add vegetable oil, salt, pepper, dry herbs. Tie the packaging and place in the microwave for 12-15 minutes.
Chop the basil and green onions finely. In a deep bowl, mix sour cream with herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Add the garlic passed through a press, mix thoroughly. A drip of freshly squeezed lemon juice can be added if desired. Put the hot potatoes in a separate container, pour over the sour cream sauce and microwave for another couple of minutes. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper before serving.
Potatoes with cheese: a hearty option
The dish contains a lot of calories, but it has a very delicate and balanced taste. Any cheese is suitable: hard, smoked sausage, processed. Fresh or dried herbs will add additional nuances. Potatoes with cheese will be an excellent side dish for dietary chicken breast or steamed lean white fish.
Ingredients:
- 5 medium-sized potatoes;
- 150 g of cheese;
- 1 tbsp. l. butter;
- salt;
- ground black pepper;
- 0.25 tsp nutmeg or paprika.
Wash the potatoes, peel, cut into arbitrary pieces. Pour it into a bag, add butter and spices. Place the bag in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to melt the butter. Take out the bag, tie it up, shake it well and return to the microwave. Bake for about 10 minutes, the exact timing depends on the type of potato and the size of the pieces. The smaller they are, the faster the dish will cook.
Grate cheese on a coarse grater. Take the bag out of the microwave, pour the potatoes into a deep bowl, add the cheese. Stir well to melt the grated mass. Serve hot or warm potatoes, garnish with fresh parsley or other herbs.
In the package, you can prepare not only a delicious side dish, but also quickly bake vegetables for a salad. The potatoes are thoroughly washed without removing the peel, several punctures are made with a fork and the tubers are placed in a bag. There is no need to add salt. The tubers are baked for 10-15 minutes, after the end of the cycle, the bag is left in the oven for a few more minutes. The bag with ready-made potatoes must be carefully opened and left to cool completely, after which the vegetables can be peeled and cut for salad. Carrots and beets are prepared in the same way, they should be baked in the same bag with potatoes.
