Budget Meals: Shrimp and Potatoes – 3 Ways!

This is a great way to stretch your grocery dollars while feeding a family. It’s filling, healthful, and quick to make, no matter which style you pick. There are a nearly infinite number of ways you can riff on this recipe if you’re feeling creative, or if you’re missing an ingredient or two. The basic recipe is below, with three thematic variations. Try them all, or make up your own and post your results as comments!

You will need:

• 1 pound shrimp – thawed, peeled, and deveined
• 2 large baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½ inch cubes – I soak mine in water for a while first, but you can skip this step, as long as you rinse the cubes a few times – it keeps them from getting mealy or too sticky
• 2-3 green onions, rinsed and thinly sliced – separate the white parts from the green and set aside
• ½ medium yellow onion, minced
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet and sauté the potatoes until they are browned and begin to crisp along the edges. Stir occasionally, but don’t overdo it, or they’ll turn to mush. Pour them into a bowl and set aside.

2. Return the skillet to heat and drizzle with a little more oil. Then, sauté the yellow and white onions, reserving the green for garnish. When they become translucent, add the shrimp and stir until the shrimp are cooked through.

3. Return the potatoes to the skillet until everything is the same temperature. Toss with the green onions, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Greek variation:

Mince a few cloves of garlic and toss it in with the onions when they’re cooking. Add a handful of chopped basil or dried oregano, some lemon zest, and feta cheese in at the end.

Cajun variation:

Chop up half of a green bell pepper and sauté it with the onions. Add minced garlic in with the shrimp as they cook, along with a liberal dose of Cajun seasoning and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce.

Chinese variation:

Toss in fresh minced ginger (or powdered, if it’s all that’s on hand), a few shakes of soy sauce, some rice vinegar, and some cumin with the shrimp. For extra kick, add dried red chilies.

Mexican, Indian, Northwestern – the possibilities are endless. Have fun!