Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
A Hostesses Dream
Make Ahead Creamy Mashed Potatoes are a hostess’s dream. These taters are baked first, not boiled, and mashed with cream and butter into a smooth and decadent potato mash.
As a self-proclaimed potato scientist, I believe this is the perfect way to prepare mashed potatoes in advance to be warmed up later for your holiday meals.
These mashed potatoes can be warmed in the slow cooker, on the stove, or in your microwave. This recipe saves you time on the holidays and these mashed potatoes are also great for meal prep as they reheat beautifully.
Why This Works
The main trick to making great mashed potatoes is to reduce the amount of water that will absorb into the spuds. If you are a follower of my page, The Tipsy Housewife, either here or on my Facebook Page you may have used my Creamiest Mashed Potato Recipe.
A couple of the steps I have in that recipe reduce the amount of water that gets absorbed into the potatoes.
Specifically, cutting your potatoes larger so they do not absorb water while boiling. I also include a step where you add the potatoes back to the pot after draining so that the rest of the water evaporates out.
In that recipe you definitely get a creamy outcome.
One Step Further
In this method, you BAKE the potatoes so that there is no water at all in the process of cooking the potatoes. The potatoes bake up with a super crispy skin thanks to the olive oil and salt and basically steam themselves tender inside.
When the potatoes are soft, you will add them to a bowl to mash with warmed milk and butter.
Reheating The Spuds
Because the potatoes are not boiled, they reheat so much nicer after being mashed. They have a more dense texture than boiled and then mashed potatoes.
I know there is some scientific reason behind this that I cannot articulate. Personally, I just know it works.
On the recipe card below I share some ways to reheat these potatoes. You will see that they reheat really well.
My Experience
I worked many second and third jobs in my day, specifically in restaurants. One restaurant I worked in did “to go” holiday meals.
This is how we made HUGE batches of mashed potatoes to add to the holiday meal kits. We always got so many compliments on how well these mashed potatoes reheated.
Squeeze If You Please
You can process the baked potatoes whichever way you feel comfortable. You WILL have to work with these potatoes when they are fairly hot or warm so that you can mash them properly.
I use some paper towels to hold the hot potatoes and scoop them out, but you can also squeeze the skins so that the insides go into a bowl.
I do believe the “squeeze method” is a much easier method to use for the sake of your hands, although you do get out a little less of the potato than if you scoop.
You can save the potato skins if you like and make a great appetizer with them by baking them with bacon and cheese on top.
Make Ahead Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
These mashed potatoes are great for meal prep as they reheat beautifully.
Ingredients
- 5 lb bag of russet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil (approximately)
- 2 tablespoons of coarse salt *for baking
- 1 tablespoon of coarse salt *for mashing **or to taste
- 8 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- 1/2 tablespoon of dried parsley
- Black pepper to taste
- *can add any dried herbs of your choice
Instructions
- Scrub your potatoes clean and dry off with paper towels. Heat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Rub the potatoes all over with the olive oil and salt the skin generously.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake one hour or until the potatoes are tender enough to stick a fork into.
- In a small sauce pan, heat your milk, cream and butter, add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, parsley and any dried herbs you are using. Keep on low and keep warm until potatoes are ready to mash.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and let cool slightly, but you still want to have them warm when you work with them.
- I use paper towel on my hands to be comfortable, or you can use a clean dishcloth. Slice the potatoes in half and scoop the inside of the potatoes into a bowl, or you can squeeze the potato skins over the bowl so that the inside squeezes out, be careful when doing this so you don't burn your hands.
- You can use a hand masher, or hand mixer, add the cream and butter mixture while it’s s warm, a little at a time and mash as you go. I end up using all the cream and butter mixture.
- Taste your potatoes and see if they need more salt. Be sure to add the salt a little at a time, mix, and wait a few moments to taste and add more if needed as it takes the salt a few moments to dissolve into the potatoes.
- Place in a covered bowl and refrigerate up to two days.
- To reheat, you can place the potatoes in a slow cooker on warm, you can heat in a pot on the stove on low and stir occasionally, or you can microwave and stir as they heat up.
- You can even put these in a cold oven, covered and let them heat up with the oven and let the oven get to 375 degrees.
- Serve with some fresh butter on top, sprinkle of pepper and dried parsley.