Cream Potatoes and Peas

Cream Potatoes and Peas
Photo by Stephanie Dayle ©2013

The ultimate combination of potatoes, peas and cream (a white sauce). This recipe is rural living at it's best!

Cream potatoes and peas (or sometimes called Creamed Peas and Potatoes) were a staple in my family when I was growing up, as an adult I still make it occasionally every now and then, but it is not as well liked by my hubby. I am not sure what the origins of this dish are - if I had to guess though, I would say that it came out of the Great Depression. It has all of the hallmarks of something that is really inexpensive and easy to cook - and I have noticed a lot of dishes that involve a white sauce base (flour, butter, and milk) can be traced back to the Great Depression.

It's really easy to make and is best with garden fresh peas, and red potatoes (click here for a great article on how to grow your own peas).  Depending on how much you'd like to make you can tinker with the ingredients to your hearts content. Like more peas? Add more peas! Like more potatoes? Add more of those! This is also a great recipe to use on your kids to get them used to eating peas. Worked like a charm for me!

Ingredients (for Gluten Free read below)

• 1-2 Cups of Garden Fresh Peas
• 5-6 Whole Potatoes - cut into chunks (if using red potatoes, leave the skin on).

Standard White Sauce

• 1 TBS (real) Butter
• 1 TBS Flour (All purpose flour, Hard Red Whole Wheat Flour will also work if you want to stick to whole grains)
• 1 C Milk - Real milk from a cow, if you have half and half that works even better!

Instructions: 
Boil potatoes in a big stock pot, you want them done, but not falling apart. Test with a fork, the chunks of potato should stay on the fork when poked. Boil peas in water in a separate sauce pan - do not over cook them, check for tenderness. While these two are cooking, get to work on your white sauce. This is how I make a white sauce: Melt the butter in a sauce pan of med low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook until it just starts to brown. Add a little bit of the milk and whisk until you have a thick slurry. Add a little more milk, maintaining the thickness of the sauce. If you add too much milk it will take FOREVER for it to thicken back up again. Add some salt and pepper to the sauce to taste, then add the rest of the milk. You are shooting for a sauce that is thick - kind of like a thinner gravy.

Drain the peas and the potatoes.

Then combine all three - cook it for a few minutes and let it set up. Serve as a side dish or as a main dish. Enjoy.

Gluten Free Option (same as above - only use this White Sauce)

• 1 TBS (real) Butter
• 1-2 TBS Sorghum Flour
• 1 C Milk - Real milk from a cow, if you have half and half that works even better!

Sub in 1-2 TBS of sorghum flour for the wheat flour in the white sauce. You will notice this doesn't thicken up as nice - no problem. Do not kill yourself trying to cook it down. Add in 1-3 TSP of corn starch to the white sauce and whisk away the lumps. You will not notice a difference in taste between this gluten free white sauce and wheat flour based one. Sorghum Flour is my secrete weapon in gluten free cooking.

All the food in The Home Front General Store is clearly marked whether its gluten free or not. When you see that "Gluten Free" bullet off to the side - rest assured the product is certified gluten free and is safe for celiacs or those with an intolerance to eat. 

Can I make this with food storage? YES! And the finished product will not look or taste much different! Here's what you need:

• Rehydrate Dried Diced Potatoes and sub in those for fresh potato chunks.
• Rehydrate Dried Garden Peas  and use those in place of fresh peas.

Make the white sauce using:

• Stored Whole Wheat Flour or grind your own flour with stored Wheat Berries.
• Reconstituted Freeze Dried Milk. 
• And Butter Powder in place of fresh butter.

Photo by Stephanie Dayle ©2013

Please note: There are many recipes out there on the internet, this recipe came from my mom, she got it from my grandmother, beyond that I don't know, any similarities to other recipes are merely a coincidence.

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