Mashed Potatoes
One of the most versatile vegetables are mashed potatoes. You can jazz them up in many ways. This method makes them so great because when you pull them out of the freezer, in 3 minutes your eating. I made meat loaf the other day. Tonight I am making meat loaf, mashed potatoes and a veggy or salad and I’m eating in 10 minutes.
Start out with a few raw potatoes. Have everything you will need at hand. Here we have the potatoes, cutting board, peeler and sharp knife. Add a bit of salt to the water. The amount varies by how many potatoes and your liking of salt. Start out with a tablespoon for the amount I have. I have the potatoes next to the sink so I can peel the skins into the sink. It is much easier to gather the peelings in the sink. Start out with the amount of potatoes you see in the picture. The raw potatoes are now ready to cut up. Cut them so they are about the same size. They will cook evenly, that way.
Put the potatoes into the pot, Use a pot at least twice the depth of the potatoes. With the potatoes in the pot, put enough water to cover the potatoes. No more water than needed to cover the potatoes. The closer the water is to the top of the pot, the easier it will be to overflow and make a mess.
For those that are new to this, here are some tips. Adjust the burner so the water is at a slow boil. Crack the top open, so the potato steam can escape. My daughter-in-law only knew one setting-FULL HIGH. She burned the pots and boiled everything over. The potatoes will cook about 20 to 30 minutes. Poke a fork into the potatoes. If the potatoes fall apart, they are done. Test a few, as different sizes of cubes may cook a little differently. When you are sure they are done, drain them into a colander. What I do is use the pot top to keep the potatoes from escaping into the sink. The top will catch a little water so drain the pot a couple of times. If you have plastic pipes, run a little cold water as you drain. White plastic pipes are only rated for 190 degrees, so a lot of 212 degree water, could do some damage.
Now is the fun part. Here is where your taste takes over. If you want to go basic, it’s milk and butter. Add a little at a time. It’s easy to add more, but hard to work with soup!
In the pictures I use sour cream and horseradish. You need something to give the potatoes some liquid, in this case sour cream. I like horseradish, so that’s my go to for my mashed potatoes.
If this is new to you, go basic. Every time you do them try something different. Besides the liquid you can add a variety of spices. Once mashed, let the potatoes cool in the pot. When no longer hot put them in the refrigerator. You want them to stiffen up. After a couple hours or more take the pot out of the refrigerator.
Prepare the area with a dinner plate and wax paper cut to cover the plate. With clean hands, remove watch and rings, reach into the pot and get a handful of potatoes. Roll them in you hands into a ball about the size of a hardball baseball or tennis ball. Put them on the plate, one by one, If they touch they will stick together. It’s hard to keep them apart, but once frozen they may need some help to come apart. With a plateful I put them in the freezer. Any left over I put in a bowl, for dinner or to freeze later. Give them at least 4 to 6 hours to freeze solid. Take them off the plate and either put them in containers or in a freezer bag. I date 99% of the things I put in the freezer, but the mashed potatoes don’t last long enough to get freezer burn. When ready for dinner, take one potato ball out, put on plate and microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes. They will be hot and ready to eat.
