What instead of potatoes for dinner? Some ideas

Who doesn’t love a traditional Polish dinner consisting of potatoes, salad and meat? Potatoes are the quickest and wholesome dinner side dish that the whole family enjoys. However, everyone can get bored with potatoes at some point. What to do when you have no idea for dinner and do not know what to do instead? In this article we suggest how to cope with the crisis in the kitchen and give you some interesting ideas

Noodles

Polish cuisine is rich in all kinds of noodles. In almost every region of Poland you can find a slightly different recipe for noodles. They are nutritious, tasty and easy to prepare. What kind of noodles can replace potatoes for dinner? Here are some examples:

• kopytka,
• dumplings,
• silesian noodles,
• steamed dumplings.

Kopytka, pyzy and kluski śląskie are made from flour, eggs and boiled potatoes. If you already have potatoes ready for dinner you can quickly turn them into hearty dumplings that will be a change on the table and are sure to be enjoyed by all family members. Steamed noodles require a bit more work, but seeing them on a plate, topped with delicious sauce, definitely makes up for all the effort. In addition, if we do not have time to make them, we can buy ready-made products. Many stores offer frozen noodles or even fresh ones with a few days’ expiration date. It is also worth checking out local, private delicatessen stores and see if they do not offer such dumplings

Pancakes

Who doesn’t like homemade potato pancakes? They are a classic on Polish tables. Such pancakes go wonderfully with sauce as an addition to meat accompanied by salad. It is worth knowing that pancakes can be fried not only from potatoes. Delicious pancakes are also made of zucchini, carrots or parsley. Most recipes are similar and are based on flour, eggs and the chosen vegetable. If you decide to make classic potato pancakes, you can use the recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg potatoes,
• 2 tablespoons of wheat flour,
• 1 egg,
• 1 small onion,
• salt, pepper,
• oil for frying.

Wash potatoes, peel and grate on coarse mesh grater. Squeeze the juice out of them (it is best to squeeze the juice by hand and put the potatoes into another bowl and pour out the juice). Add finely grated onion, egg, flour, spices and mix. Fry on well heated oil for 3 minutes each side.

Groats and rice

Cooking groats or rice takes the same amount of time as cooking potatoes, plus we save time on peeling. Groats are rich in nutrients and have fewer calories than potatoes or rice. There are many different kinds to choose from, so you’re sure to be able to meet the tastes of everyone in your household. If kasha seems too dry, serving it accompanied by your favorite sauce should solve the problem. As for rice, it’s best to choose whole grain, as it has the most nutrients. Ordinary white rice is “cleansed” of them, so its only value for the human body are calories. Alternatively, jasmine rice will also work.

French fries, not necessarily potato

If you want to replace boiled potatoes with something else, but at the same time you want your dinner to be healthy and easy to digest, oven French fries are a good solution. They are made of peeled and cut potatoes, coated in oil and spices, and then baked in the oven on a baking tray lined with paper. Such fries are crunchy, aromatic, healthy and preserve all ingredients and minerals contained in potatoes. If we want to resign from potatoes altogether, we can also prepare French fries from various vegetables. A popular choice are carrots, parsley, or celery. Zucchini, eggplant or peppers cut into slices and covered in spices are also a great idea. They are filling, healthy and make a warm addition to dinner, aiding digestion.