The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores.
Potatoes are usually a reliably cheap item, but there must be a glut in the spud market, because this week finds mounds of them all over the city at great prices. Morton Williams’ $1.49 price for a 5-pound bag might sound absurd at first, but a quick glimpse revealed that it’s not even the best price this week. No -- that title once again goes to C-Town, where a 5-pound bag will set you back all of $1.29. But those precious 20 cents you'll be saving will take you away another mighty deal at Morton Williams. On Wednesday and Thursday only Morton Williams will sell 2 packages of bacon for $3.
It’s probably not great bacon. These aren’t thickly sliced slabs. But there’s nothing wrong with bacon, and if used correctly can just about save any dish you’re cooking. So basically, you can buy 5 pounds of potatoes and 2 pounds of bacon for under $5. And now you’ve just got to think about ways to use the two. Luckily they get along nicely.
The simple way is to just bake those suckers, fry up some bacon, and have a nice baked potato with all your favorite fixings. If the usual cheese and sour cream topping is getting you down, look across the pond to England where their Jacket Potatoes are cause to throw nearly anything in you’d like. A hearty potato soup with bacon also sprang to mind. But for some reason we were drawn to that ordinary domestic staple, the twice baked potato.
Just bake the potatoes as usual for 50 minutes at 400 degrees. Cut up two scallions and mix with 1/4 cup of sour cream, teaspoon of mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of hot sauce, 2 crumbled strips of bacon, and finally a 1/2 cup of a cheese like monterey jack or cheddar. When the potatoes are done, cut off 1/4 off the top, scoop out the insides, leaving 1/4 of inch for structure. Mash the potatoes with a fork, then dump them in the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix until all is combined, then scoop the mixture back into the potato skins, put in a baking dish, and set back in the oven for another 20 minutes. That'll be about half a pound down, and some six and half to go. So get creative.
Anyone have any particularly inspiring choices with this cheap pair?
Visit their website for a list of Morton Williams Locations
