Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you make mashed potatoes ahead of time and reheat? ›

It's not just that mashed potatoes can be made ahead; they actually end up creamier and fluffier when prepared in advance. When mashed potatoes chill, their starches firm up, and when reheated gently, they relax into a mash with an even silkier texture.

Prepping the potatoes ahead of time

To save time on peeling and chopping on Thanksgiving Day (or any other day that includes mashed potatoes), you can peel the spuds and keep them submerged in a bowl of water in the fridge, whole or cut up, for hours — even overnight — before boiling.

Restaurants prepare the potatoes ahead by boiling and mashing just the potato, then just before serving, it is mixed into boiling cream (or milk or even broth or a combination thereof) to reheat it and make it nice and creamy.

As always, better quality ingredients equals better tasting food. Heavy Cream - While you, hypothetically, could use whole milk or something, I don't recommend it. Part of what makes these the creamiest mashed potatoes is the CREAM!

Reheat in the Oven

Here's her method for reheating mashed potatoes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add a dash of cream or milk, and some more butter to the dish before baking. To further avoid dryness, don't skimp on butter and other dairy products.

Add more cream and butter: More moisture and fat are the two secret ingredients to reheating any leftovers. For potatoes, reach for half-and-half or broth and butter. Cover and heat low and slow: Cover the baking dish and set it in a 350°F oven alongside any turkey leftovers you might be reheating too.

The whole process is simple: peel them, leave them whole or dice them if you want, fill a bowl with cold water, submerge the potatoes and store in the fridge overnight. While this trick can be quite handy, it will only work for about 24 hours, so we would recommend to not prep your potatoes too far in advance.

Season with salt and pepper. Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 pound potatoes per person for your feast.

The main way we combat this problem is by rinsing away starch, both before and after cooking potatoes for fluffy mashed potatoes.

The lowest setting of your slow cooker will keep the potatoes nice and warm without drying them out. If you notice that they are getting a little dry, loosen them up by stirring in an extra splash of milk or cream or a few tablespoons of butter.

Why do restaurant mashed potatoes taste better? ›

Whereas most home cooks will use a pinch of butter, a couple of shakes of salt, and a bit of milk, steakhouse chefs aren't afraid to go all out with the dairy. There's no room for 2% or even whole milk in their mashed potatoes -- the thinness of plain milk just isn't creamy enough to cut it. And creaminess is key!

The Best Way to Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm

The best method is to use a slow cooker to keep the prepared spuds warm for hours. Add the mashed potatoes to the slow cooker and keep them on warm for hours leading up to the meal. This way, you don't have to worry about them burning.

Sour Cream: The sour cream helps keep the mashed potatoes fluffy. Cream Cheese: This adds a bit of creaminess without being too overpowering. Heavy Cream: Increases the creaminess and helps thin out the potatoes a bit.

Waxy potatoes (such as new, red, or white varieties) require more mashing to become creamy which could result in gluey, pasty spuds. Butter before milk: Always add the butter first so the butter fat coats the potato starch molecules. Then, add the hot milk to make them creamy.

Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!

If you need to reheat mashed potatoes quickly, nothing beats the microwave. Put the potatoes in a microwave-safe dish, add a splash of liquid, and gently stir. Cover the potatoes with a lid to help preserve moisture, then heat at half power for 1 minute. Remove the potatoes and stir again, checking the temperature.

Reheating mashed potatoes in a slow cooker or Crockpot ⇢ Making use of a slow cooker or Crockpot is a great option if you're low on oven space on Thanksgiving Day! Transfer the potatoes to your slow cooker & reheat with the low setting for 3-4 hours.

In terms of food safety, however, so long as you reheat the food at the correct temperature and for the correct duration of time, it can in fact be safely reheated multiple times. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) recommends that food is only reheated once, so follow this guidance wherever possible.

How Long You Can Keep Leftover Mashed Potatoes. Mashed potatoes should easily last three to five days in the fridge if stored correctly and within two hours of cooking. This means ensuring there isn't any moisture buildup under the lid that could encourage the growth of bacteria.