Canned Potatoes

Canned Potatoes are very versatile! I use them for potato salad. I pan fry them in butter for a tasty side dish. I mix and fry them with left over meat to make hash. I have a hard time keeping them in my pantry. I usually get 6-7 quarts of potatoes per 10 lb bag. Here is my recipe for pressure canning potatoes.

Canned Potatoes
10 lb bag of russet potatoes
1 teaspoon pickling salt in each quart jar.
You will need:
Potato Peeler, Knife, Bowl of water, Large pot, Canning funnel, Jar lifter, Burping spatula, and magnetic lid lifter.




 Peel and dice potatoes in 1 inch cubes. Place them in a bowl of water while peeling and dicing the rest. When finished rinse potatoes and place in a large pot.
Fill with water and bring to a quick boil and drain.

When pressure canning there is no need to sterilize the jars. Just make sure the jars are washed well and heat them in the oven at 200 degrees. A rule of thumb,  Hot product, hot jars and hot water. Raw pack cool product, room temp jars and cool water.  Place the hot potatoes into hot jars, tamping and pushing down as much as you can to fill the jar. Pour in fresh hot water into the jars and make sure there is one inch of head space.

As with every time you can, make sure you burp the jars with a plastic knife. This ensures air bubbles are expelled. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart. Wipe jars well and place on warmed lids, and finally "finger tight" the rings.

Add three quarts of hot water to the bottom of your pressure canner and stack in your filled quart jars. I know that there is a fear of pressure canning. It seems that most older folks have told horror stories of an exploding pressure cooker/canner. Today's modern pressure canners comes with a safety feature. They come with a rubberized plug that fits a small hole in the top of the canner. If the temperature gets too hot this plug will pop off and release all the pressure before it will explode. I always sit in the kitchen and watch the gauge and listen to the rattling and hissing. Make sure you follow the guidelines of the manual when canning.

  

After filling the canner place on the lid and lock into place. Turn on the stove. It will take a while before the water starts boiling and the steam escapes the vent. 

At a certain level of pressure the locking pin will pop up (on the left of the photo)When that has popped up, and there is a strong and steady stream of steam coming out of the vent, start timing for 10 minutes. This will ensure that the air is being displaced from inside of the canner.After 10 minutes place the weight on the vent. For my elevation I need 10 lbs weight to create the 10 pounds of pressure. Check your manual for what pressure you need for your elevation.

Once the pressure reaches a steady 10 lbs on the gauge start timing for 40 minutes. I typically turn my element on high when I start out and by the time it reaches the correct pressure I back off the temp, from 10 to 8.5 on my dial. Your weight will hiss and jiggle indicating you have reached the correct temperature. My gauge stays pretty steady on the 11 lbs mark. The pressure must maintain at least 10 pounds of pressure, if it dips below that, the stove temperature must be increased and start over with the timing. Adjust the temperate to maintain a steady pressure. After 40 minutes turn off the heat and let it gradually release it's temperature.

Do not remove the weight or move it off the burner. If the pressure is released too quickly the pressure in the jars will be greater and the liquid will seep out from under the lid. This could result in an unsealed jar. So, keep on your weight and do not move your canner off the element. It takes a while for the pressure to get back to zero. Let it sit for a while you can hear the boiling inside, wait until the canner is silent. When removing the lid make sure you open it away from your face because there will be a lot of steam released! Remove the jars with a jar lifter and place on a towel in a non drafty area and let sit for at least 12 hours. Make sure the lids have properly sealed.


Once the rings are removed and the jars and lids are washed with cool soapy water, and the lids are marked with date and contents, you can safely store them in your pantry.

These jars of potatoes will make 

meal prep so easy!