Freezer Friendly Recipes: Freezer Mashed Potatoes
Take Advantage of Harvest Time with Freezer Mashed Potatoes
A lot of vegetables are less expensive at harvest time, and potatoes are no different. But how do you preserve potatoes now for use later? I love to make Freezer Mashed Potatoes, taking advantage of the lower prices while I can, and it’s great to know that my freezer is full of things I can pull out and make for a fast dinner. In making Freezer Mashed Potatoes, I have learned to make them a little on the dry side, because when you reheat them, you can always add a bit of moisture, or cheese, or sour cream, but it’s hard to cook out moisture from Freezer Mashed Potatoes without burning them to the bottom of the pot.
Start with the Right Potatoes for Freezer Mashed Potatoes
I read an article in a cooking magazine a few years ago about what is the right potato to use in any mashed potatoes, much less Freezer Mashed Potatoes. It recommended a mixture of waxy and dry potatoes, to give you the best starch content so that your potatoes weren’t stringy and glue-like or dry and tasteless. I make it pretty simple in my Freezer Mashed Potatoes. I like round white potatoes. They are very plain Jane, and work well in any recipe that takes potatoes and mashes them. A nice red-skinned potato will also work, but I’ve had varieties of those turn to paste on me. Russets are a good choice if you can’t find round white potatoes for Freezer Mashed Potatoes, but you’ll have to add a bit more butter or half n half if you want to make them flavorful and moist.
3 lbs round white potatoes, peeled and uniformly cubed
butter, cut into cubes
half n half
salt
pepper
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Salt liberally and bring to a boil.
When the potatoes are fork-tender, drain them and place them in a heat-proof bowl or back in the pot.
Add the butter and mash with a potato masher until smooth.
Add enough milk to make a thick version of mashed potatoes, continuing to mash with the potato masher.
Allow to cool. Package in freezer plastic zippy bags, and seal, squeezing out all the air.
Freeze for up to 3 months in a refrigerator freezer or a year in a deep freeze.
Reheating Freezer Mashed Potatoes
If I’ve stored my Freezer Mashed Potatoes in plain old plastic zippy bags, I thaw a bag in warm water until the potatoes are loose and can be squished. I then place them in a bowl and heat them in the microwave for a few minutes, or my favorite, in a lidded casserole dish in the oven, with a pat or two of butter on top. You can reheat Freezer Mashed Potatoes in a pot on the stove, but you need to watch over them closely so they don’t stick and burn. Whatever way you reheat your Freezer Mashed Potatoes, they will be light, fluffy, and as delicious rewarmed as they were when you made them the first time.
