Mashed potatoes can easily be varied with a little creative ingredient adjustment. Whether you use different potato varieties or add other vegetables or flavorings, mashed potatoes can be enhanced to complement many dishes. This page contains mashed potato tips.
I had changed my recipe for potatoes to save calories, as well as, to not have so much bad fat in them. I do use a small amount of mayo (fat free) instead of tons of butter or milk or other "not so good for you" ingredients all of which he cares less about. Scary, but the flank was as far as I would compromise. We all know it's not polite, maybe worst not to enjoy a good meal with the ones we love. I really believe in what's written about "breaking bread"; in my case never any real bread, but food brings people together like nothing else. Maybe that's why we have so many obese people in the USA. Portion control is a good idea and always enjoy what you are eating.
I start by boiling the potatoes till they are super soft, actually I love to use red potatoes and leave the skin on; that's where all the vitamins are anyway. When they are finished almost mashing on their own, I dump most of the water out (leave maybe 1/2 cup). That's where I add creole seasoning, it also is very good for you. When you add seasonings first, it absorbs into the potato much better.
Here begins my trick to the world's best mashed potato. I use Italian (zesty if I have it) dressing where many would dump the milk, butter, or other things they add. It has so much less fat, the taste is out of this world, so why not put additional fat? With this, I add pickle juice (jalapeno is great), and the fat free mayo. It is so good, not one person has ever not asked for seconds. This day, I peeled 5 lbs of potatoes for 3 people. I knew my brother and his friend would eat before their long flight.
Make sure you whip after mixing the ingredients together on your highest speed, they actually become like mountains of soft, white cloudy peaks. In this case, I knew David would ask for butter so I put It's Not Butter on the top to melt down, finished with a little more black pepper.
You can mash cauliflower like you would potatoes, use same things I did and some never know the difference. Enjoy! if you try, it you'll love it; this one I promise. With small children, don't make it too peppery, use more fat free mayo then Italian dressing (or just not zesty). I have never had my kids complain, although I know some children are sensitive. Mainly I find it's due to black pepper, not the other ingredients. We should always make sure they don't use salt on anything. Why start a habit? Most food contains enough sodium already. I should have put use organic cleaner before boiling. If using red potatoes, or if just not peeling, make sure you use a nice citrus wash. Blessings at your next meal.
By Luana M. from San Diego, CA
Source: Long-ago friend
By BonnieAlice from Candia, NH
By mamacrafter from TN
By mamacrafter from TN
By BonnieAlice from Candia, NH
By Lucy
Is there a way I can prepare mashed potatoes the day before Thanksgiving?
By Donna from Bartlesville, OK
By micksgirl11/24/2009Make them ahead of time. Put them in a casserole dish the day of, sprinkle cheese and bread crumbs on top and cook at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes till hot and cheese is melty.
I refrigerated uncooked, but peeled potatoes for a couple of days because I couldn't fit them all in the pan that was cooking up a huge batch of mashed potatoes. When I did cook them up and made mashed potatoes, they tasted pasty instead of like the original. Is there any way to avoid this?
By Carol C.
To make your mashed potatoes creamier, add a dollop of mayonnaise. I usually just add however much I want. If you are watching your weight you might want to substitute low-fat mayo instead.
By Karen Logan
Making mashed potatoes at the last minute in order to keep them hot is very tricky while your juggling everything else for Thanksgiving. I make them a day or two before. I just make them as usual, sometimes adding sour cream and garlic salt. Put them in a casserole dish and refrigerate.
Then on Thanksgiving, I pull them out and let set to room temperature and microwave to warm them up at the last minute. No one knows they were done early.
By Candace from Annapolis, MD
By Tawnda
To use them, just take a bag from the freezer and let it thaw. Put the thawed potatoes in a bowl and microwave until hot. Stirring with a fork will fluff them up and nobody, but you will know they aren't freshly made. If you want gravy, thicken a can of chicken or beef broth with cornstarch. This is flavorful, but lowfat.
Harlean from Arkansas (11/11/2005)
iastate.edu/foodsafety The original article explained that many picnic food poisonings might be due to these foods being neglected. Love the idea of fixing it ahead, though. (10/25/2009)
By italianswede
Try using low fat mayo' to make creamy mashed potatoes.
By cakedec from BC, Canada
By LJF
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Mashed Potato Tips