How to prepare potatoes

If you want to cut down on meal prep, enjoy a nutrient boost AND keep food out of the bin, simply scrub potatoes rather than peeling them! A lot of the fibre in a potato is found in the skin, so eating them with their skin means you can maximise your intake of this gut-friendly nutrient.

 

Did you know?

It’s fine to cook and eat potatoes that have started to sprout – just remove any shoots and green bits before cooking them.  (1)

 

Delicious ways to enjoy skin-on potatoes

Scrub potatoes then use them in all the usual ways – just with the skin on! We love…

• Jacket potatoes

• Skin-on wedges, chips and roasties

• Traybakes and curries made with chunks of unpeeled potato

• Potato salad made with skin-on boiled potatoes

• Mash made by boiling potatoes with their skins, then mashing with milk and olive oil

 

Top tip!

Use less water by scrubbing potatoes in a bowl of water rather than under a running tap. According to the Consumer Council for Water, a running tap uses 9 litres of water every minute(2)!

 

Top Tip!

If you really want to remove the skin, use a peeler rather than a knife as it wastes less potato!

 

How to make crispy potato skins

Prefer to peel your potatoes for some dishes? Give your potatoes a good scrub, peel them, then turn the peelings into a delicious, fibre-filled snack.

 

Simply dab the peelings dry, toss with a little vegetable oil and paprika, and bake in a preheated oven at 220°C/gas mark 7 for 10-15 minutes until crisp, turning halfway through cooking. Alternatively, cook in an air-fryer heated to 200°C for around 8-10 minutes.

 

Bought too many potatoes?
Don’t waste them! While you can’t freeze raw potatoes, you can freeze them when they’re par-boiled or fully cooked. Simply prepare and cook your potatoes as normal, leave to cool, then freeze in covered, labelled, freezer-proof containers in portions to suit you and your family for up to three months. Boiled, mashed, roasted or baked potatoes all work well – and are perfect standbys for when you haven’t got the time or energy to cook.

 

(1) Food Standards Agency. Home Food Fact Checker. 17 July 2025.

(2) CCW. How much water do you use?