My Simple Potato-Based Meal System for Eating Well on a Budget

I go back and forth between Amsterdam and Bagheria, rarely staying in either place for more than a few weeks at a time.

That means I have to take that into account when I go grocery shopping…

Because whenever I leave, I always switch off the fridge, of course.

I don’t have a big fridge—just a small countertop model with a little freezer compartment on top.

In Amsterdam, the vegetable drawer at the bottom is usually completely filled with potatoes. Right now they’re incredibly cheap there too: €2 for a 5 kg bag.

That’s pretty great value—€2 gets me so many potatoes I can barely finish them before I leave again.

I really hate wasting food, by the way.

Besides those 5 kilos of potatoes, I don’t actually buy all that much. Of course I also get fresh vegetables, fruit, cheese, eggs, butter, and so on.

But I want to talk about those potatoes.
Because it’s damn convenient to have that kind of stock at home.

I also always keep a batch of my daily soup ready. It might sound a bit odd, but I eat it for breakfast—or rather, it’s always my first meal of the day. It makes sure I get enough fiber and vitamins.
And that soup always contains at least one potato.

I eat at least one potato-based meal a week, combined with meat, chicken, fish, or something vegetarian. I usually eat them mashed, or sometimes just boiled.

But what I also do regularly is turn them into fries. And then I eat that as a full meal: fries with mayonnaise, fries special, known in Dutch as a ‘patatje speciaal’ (that’s mayo + ketchup + finely chopped onions), fries with homemade peanut sauce (video), or even fries with both peanut sauce and mayo.

One large potato is enough for that. Plus, a big potato gives you longer fries, which just looks more appetizing.

That’s why, when I make soup, boiled potatoes, or mashed potatoes, I always try to use the smaller ones for that and save the larger ones for fries later.

So how do I make them?

01

I peel the potato with a vegetable peeler.

02

Then I cut it into roughly 1 cm (about 0.4 inch) thick strips.

03

Next, I toss the strips in a bowl and drizzle a very small amount of olive oil over them—just enough to lightly coat them.

04

I’ve found they taste better if you also sprinkle a bit of salt on them at that stage.

05

Then I toss everything together so the oil and salt coat all sides evenly.

06

After that, I put them in the air fryer at 200°C (about 400°F) for around 20 minutes, or longer if needed. Every five minutes I take the tray out and shake the fries around a bit.

07

Usually after about 20 minutes they’re golden brown on all sides, but if they’re not quite there yet, I give them another shake and put them back in for a few more minutes.

Easy and budget-friendly, right?

Someone else might throw together a sandwich for a quick meal, and I make fries instead.

Since I’ve already had my soup, I don’t really have to worry about whether I’m getting enough nutrients.

Do you also have a “default cheap staple” you always fall back on like I do with potatoes? What’s the cheapest staple food where you live that still feels like good value? What’s your go-to “fries upgrade”—mayo, ketchup, or something completely different? And do you also have a “default meal” you end up eating on repeat during the week?

If you enjoyed reading this, feel free to share the article with someone who might appreciate it too—or just send it to that one friend who always has a very specific “cheap and reliable” food routine.

Photo: Brooke Lark