Use Potatoes to Liven Up Your Passover Meals

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  Potatoes are the answer to that yearly question, "what am I going to cook for Passover?" Instead of focusing on what you can't eat during Passover, enjoy what you can eat, like potatoes.

Passover is an opportunity to get creative in the kitchen, like 20 Los Angeles food bloggers did last week at a potluck meeting I attended. Everyone brought a dish made with potatoes in honor of the guest speaker, Don Odiorne of the Idaho Potato Commission. I sampled 20 diverse potato dishes and can attest that all were delicious. Most of these potato dishes can be made for Passover as is or with small modifications.

For example, at the potluck I served potato and brisket kreplach appetizers. The part of the recipe that is perfect for Passover is the mashed potato filling. My version jazzes up mashed potatoes with carmelized onions and dill. They have so much flavor that they only need a small amount of butter and lowfat milk. Mashed potatoes don't need lots of fat to be delicious. Also, I used Yukon Gold potatoes which make especially creamy mashed potatoes. Another option is to substitute the dairy with broth and margarine in order to serve the mashed potatoes with meat at a kosher meal. Click here for the recipe.

My favorite Passover Seder recipe is potato latke muffins. No matter how many of these delicious muffins I make each year, they are all gone by the end of the meal. Plus, enjoy them guilt-free. They are made with much less oil than regular potato latkes.

Click here for the Potato Latke Muffins recipe.

I think it's fun to add something new to the Passover line up. It keeps the selection fresh and interesting. My latest addition is Crispy Smashed Potatoes. I even have a make ahead strategy for them:Click here for Crispy Smash Potatoes recipe.

And crispy roasted potatoes are always a popular choice in my house. I make these in a small batch for my immediate family to accompany dinner or eggs for breakfast. There's never leftovers.Click here for the secret to my super Crispy Homestyle Potatoes.

Who needs bland, soggy matzo casseroles for Passover when we can make potatoes instead?  Check out all the potato recipes from the Food Bloggers Los Angeles March potluck meeting.

Can't get enough of potatoes, see more recipes on the Idaho Potato Commission website.

For more Passover meal ideas, see my Passover Pinterest board.

Happy Cooking!