Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
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5.0
9 reviews
Excellent
Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
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🥔⏰🙌🏻 Make your life easier by preparing your mashed potatoes in advance! This is an EASY recipe that uses just 5 ingredients! Great for holiday dinners and busy weeknights alike! Learn all my tips and tricks for preparing CREAMY mashed potatoes up to three days in advance, plus how to reheat them so they stay PERFECT! I realize the directions like quite a bit for simple mashed potatoes, but these are make-ahead mashed potatoes and you may be serving them to holiday guests. So I want to make sure your potatoes come out perfectly and for that, I was extremely detailed below.
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Ingredients
- 5 pounds Russet potatoes peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Reheating
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
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Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large stockpot, cover with water, and then drain to remove some of the starch. Do not skip this step. This helps create a fluffier mashed potato texture because you're removing some starch.
- Add fresh water to the pot, about two inches above the potatoes, cover the pot with a lid, and bring to a boil. Tip - I like to add 1 teaspoon kosher salt to the water for better flavor later on, but it's optional. Once the water begins to boil, remove the lid and boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes over medium-high heat, or until the potatoes are fork tender and done.
- While the potatoes are boiling, in a separate small saucepan, add the butter, half-and-half, salt, pepper, and heat over medium heat to melt the butter. Set aside until the potatoes are done. Tips - Make sure just to get the butter melted, don't boil it or allow the heat to get too high. You don't want to boil the dairy proteins in the half-and-half. I recommend using half-and-half. Not whole milk, nor heavy cream. Half-and-half is perfect here. If you don't have half-and-half, you can make it by combining 3/4 cup whole milk with 3/4 cup heavy cream, and now you have 1 1/2 cups half-and-half.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain the remaining cooking liquid. I find it easiest to just flip the potatoes into a colander over the sink and allow the cooking water to run out.
- If they're not already in one, place the potatoes into a colander and briefly rinse them under cold water after draining. Shake the excess moisture off. Do not skip this step. This helps create a fluffier mashed potato texture because you're removing some starch.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and pour the melted butter mixture over the potatoes. See Tip in next step if you're going to rice rather than mash the potatoes.
- Using a potato masher (or potato ricer, or even just a large fork), mash the potatoes. Do NOT use an electric appliance like a mixer, blender, food processor, etc. Do this by hand for the best texture otherwise the potatoes could turn gummy or gluey. Tip - It's possible that if you're going to rice the potatoes rather than use a masher, it will be less messy if you rice first, then add the butter (from the previous step above). It's your call and you can evaluate what you think will work best for you.
- Transfer the potatoes into a 9x13-inch baking dish or similar sized casserole dish and allow the potatoes to cool completely. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate the potatoes for up to 3 days.
- Reheating - When ready to reheat the mashed potatoes, remove the dish from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes while the oven preheats to 350F.
- Add ½ cup of half-and-half and 2 tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan, heat over medium heat to melt the butter, and lightly warm the half-and-half.
- Pour this mixture on top of the mashed potatoes, do NOT stir it in. Just let it sit on top.
- Cover the casserole dish tightly with the foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes have heated through. Stir, fluff, and serve warm.
Equipments used:
Notes
- Make-Ahead Tips:
- Reheating Tips:
- Storage:
- Cooling: Allow the mashed potatoes to cool completely before covering them and storing them in the refrigerator.
- Freezing Option: These mashed potatoes can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Let them cool completely, then transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before following the reheating instructions as outlined in the recipe.
- Adding Moisture: Make sure to add the half and half and butter during reheating as outlined above to mashed potatoes from drying out. Just allow it to pool on top.
- Room Temperature: Letting the mashed potatoes sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before reheating helps them reheat more evenly.
- Low and Slow: Reheating at 350F helps prevent the potatoes from drying out. Even if you're short on time, I do not recommend using a hotter oven temp.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-4 days. This means that if you made the potatoes 3 full days in advance, you really should consume them on day 4. You could potentially stretch this to 5 days but use your judgment. If you know you're going to freeze them, freeze them as soon as you can, meaning don't wait until day 4-5 to decide you're going to freeze them.
- With leftover potatoes that I have in the fridge, I reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or as needed. If they seem dry, a pat of butter or splash of half-and-half will help rectify that.
- It's generally not recommended to reheat mashed potatoes multiple times. Each time food is reheated, it increases the risk of bacterial growth, so if you are going to reheat them, reheat only what you'll consume and not the entire batch of leftovers.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1serving
Calories
423kcal
(21%)
Carbohydrates
36g
(12%)
Protein
6g
(12%)
Fat
30g
(46%)
Saturated Fat
19g
(95%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
1g
Monounsaturated Fat
8g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
80mg
(27%)
Sodium
425mg
(18%)
Potassium
851mg
(24%)
Fiber
3g
(12%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
913IU
(18%)
Vitamin C
11mg
(12%)
Calcium
76mg
(8%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 12Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 423 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 423kcal | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 36g | 12% |
| Protein | 6g | 12% |
| Fat | 30g | 46% |
| Saturated Fat | 19g | 95% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 80mg | 27% |
| Sodium | 425mg | 18% |
| Potassium | 851mg | 18% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 913IU | 18% |
| Vitamin C | 11mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 76mg | 8% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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Overall Rating
5.0
9 reviews
Excellent
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