Potatoes...the perfect food and naturally gluten-free!

When the weather is turning colder and it seems a heartier meal is in order, potatoes are almost always top of my list of key ingredients. What is better than a potato? What is more versatile? I don't think you could ever run out of ideas to do with good old fashioned potatoes. What a budget stretcher they are too!

In today's tough economy, we are all looking for good budget stretchers. Potatoes are good in any economy, but are perfect for today! The ideas are limitless and even the ingredients you put with potatoes are inexpensive. Perfect match, in my mind.

Yes, we all bake potatoes from time to time. They are good, but can become boring after a while. Want a better idea for that baked potato? How about twice baked potatoes? If you think this is too time consuming or difficult, I'll give you some hints.

First of all, most of the steps can be done ahead of time. You can bake extra potatoes when you are preparing for another evenings meal. Save them in the refrigerator until you are ready, this will cut down on your cooking time by over an hour. Baked potatoes will store wonderfully in your refrigerator for up to a week.

When you start your dinner preparations, simply pull the potatoes out and follow the instructions in the recipe from that point on. Simple, easy and you have twice baked potatoes any night of the week in less than 40 minutes.

Another time saver for a busy night is to make the potatoes to the point of putting them in the oven to bake. Simply cover them with plastic wrap or foil and store them in the refrigerator for another night, or later in that day.

Want a lighter version of this recipe, leave out the cream cheese, sour cream and some of the cheddar and simply use buttermilk in their place. Easy and delicious.

Need an even lighter idea for your potatoes? Slice any potatoes lengthwise into wedges. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over them, season with your favorite seasonings and bake on a sheet pan until done. So good and so much better than deep fried french fries. Our favorite potato to do this way are Yukon Gold. Red potatoes are also really good!

Here at my house, we've even roasted potatoes and served chili over them. Add a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream and you have chili cheese fries from your own kitchen! What could be better than that?

How about loaded mashed potatoes? So easy and so delicious. I make mashed potatoes here often in the fall and winter months. They are much like the twice baked potatoesI mentioned earlier, without the baking. Most of the time, I don't even peel my potatoes when I'm going to mash them. My husband prefers the skins in his mashed potatoes and it saves me a step. Fine with this busy mom!

The sky is the limit with loaded mashed potatoes or even twice baked potatoes. Add crispy bacon, roasted garlic, caramelized onions, fresh chives, green onion, chicken stock instead of milk or buttermilk in place of the butter and milk. Play with your food, find what flavors you and your family enjoy. Make it your own signature dish!

In my book, potatoes are almost a perfect food! They can be made as a side dish, or stand alone in a soup, chowder, or loaded baked potato as the main part of a meal. Fry them with gluten-free sausage for a hearty breakfast dish. Bake them, roast them or mash them. They are always sure to please.

You are only limited by what you have in your pantry, so go play with your food! Find what flavors you enjoy together and make a potato dish of your own. My only request is that you post your creations here on Gling! After all, this community of gluten-free cooks could always use a few more yummy dishes to make for our friends and family.