Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Smells, sounds, tastes, feelings that just send you back to a previous time and place. It’s really amazing if you think about it. I heard a song on the radio last week that I probably hadn’t heard since it was first popular in 2000 — you know, one of those one hit wonder songs that were so bad they were good? Even though I cringed at the lyrics that I now get at age 24 and went over my head at age 12, I still smiled and chuckled. It made me remember the people and events I spent those formative years with, and those memories, bad song or not, are always worth remembering.
But random memory triggers aren’t the only things that can bring you warm feelings. Consistency does that too.
Every Christmas Day, I go to my Aunt Susie’s (my Grandma’s sister) house for a huge Christmas open house. Situated on the border of a large park system, her house is a dream for a history person like me. It is filled with hidden nooks and crannies, with a double staircase, and a summer kitchen. And every year, like clockwork, she and my Grandma make what they have dubbed “Christmas Potatoes.” Even when my Grandma makes them at other times in the year (for smaller occasions) she still calls them Christmas Potatoes.
Really, they could be called Hungarian Potatoes. Or Paprika Potatoes. Or as they’re called in my own brain, Amazing Potatoes.
They’re probably so good because they are just so simple.
So, I figured I share the recipe with you.
Amazing and Easy Paprika Potatoes
Serves 4 -6 (All depends on how many potatoes are in each can)
Ingredients:
4 cans of Whole White or Whole New Potatoes*
1 stick of margarine (or butter)
1 heaping teaspoon of good Hungarian Paprika**
*The two names are interchangeable — they’re the same thing.
**The paprika is the most important ingredient. While you can make the potatoes with any kind of paprika, the better the quality, the better the taste.
Instructions:
1. Open and drain the cans of potatoes. Cut any dark spots off the potatoes.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the margarine.
3. Add the paprika to the margarine, stir.
4. Drop the potatoes in the paprika-margarine mixture and coat them thoroughly.
5. Place the potatoes in an oven safe dish. I use a cookie sheet, but any oven safe dish or pan will work. Cover with aluminum foil.
6. Bake the potatoes at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
7. Enjoy!
