Can I boil my potatoes today, to mash on Sunday?

Personally, I see no reason why you can't. I've heard of people even mashing them ahead of time and then placing them in a crockpot the day of the dinner.

Hi there! I have a catering business, and my son is a trained Chef. The answer is YES !

I always make my mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes the day before, and my stuffing as well. Make the dish, and generously butter an oven proof baking dish. Put the potatoes or whatever into the dish, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate. The next day, I usually set the cold dishes out on the counter to come to room temperature (but this is not a requirement, so if you forget, do not panic.) When I take the turkey or ham out of the oven, I put the covered dishes into the oven...350 for an hour, or until they are steaming hot. Sometimes the potatoes get nearly too soft and fluffy, but do not worry; they still taste fabulous.

I make every single dish the day or two before; that way, I am not exhausted or stressed that day, and all I need to do is slide the meat into the oven. Plus, I've had a chance the day before to wash up the pots and clean off the counters.

Hope this helps!

I think you will find the potatoes more difficult to mash (they will be harder and cold).

Have you ever considered a make-ahead mashed potato dish? If you search (or go on Pinterest) there are tons of recipes. I make these every Christmas and they are a huge hit.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/tracys-make-ahead-mashed-potatoes-62579.aspx

I don't follow the recipe exactly. First of all, I use a 5 lb. bag of potatoes. Also, we don't like green onions, so we skip those. We've used chive and onion cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese (the entire small tub). We also sprinkle in some shredded cheddar and add some butter. I season with salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder. You can skip the bacon on top, if you want. I guess it is sort of like loaded mashed potatoes. Not a "diet" recipe, but they are good.

So, if you look at the recipe, you can see we put our mark on it and made it our own. The recipe is easy to follow and you can do your own thing. Best of all, you can make this up to two days ahead. They come out so good and creamy!

Gloria

Thank you everyone! I will make them tomorrow and bake them on Sunday! That's one thing that will be a no-brainer!

Wow, I just realized I posted my response on the wrong thread. d'oh!

Anyway, I wouldn't just boil the potatoes. I'd go ahead and complete the dish. Cooked potatoes will turn on you and you would have to heat them up again, anyway. The completed dish won't turn and mashers heat up very well.

On 4/18/2014 chickenbutt said:

Wow, I just realized I posted my response on the wrong thread. d'oh!

Anyway, I wouldn't just boil the potatoes. I'd go ahead and complete the dish. Cooked potatoes will turn on you and you would have to heat them up again, anyway. The completed dish won't turn and mashers heat up very well.

ITA!

On 4/18/2014 Gloria said:

I think you will find the potatoes more difficult to mash (they will be harder and cold).

Have you ever considered a make-ahead mashed potato dish? If you search (or go on Pinterest) there are tons of recipes. I make these every Christmas and they are a huge hit.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/tracys-make-ahead-mashed-potatoes-62579.aspx

I don't follow the recipe exactly. First of all, I use a 5 lb. bag of potatoes. Also, we don't like green onions, so we skip those. We've used chive and onion cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese (the entire small tub). We also sprinkle in some shredded cheddar and add some butter. I season with salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder. You can skip the bacon on top, if you want. I guess it is sort of like loaded mashed potatoes. Not a "diet" recipe, but they are good.

So, if you look at the recipe, you can see we put our mark on it and made it our own. The recipe is easy to follow and you can do your own thing. Best of all, you can make this up to two days ahead. They come out so good and creamy!

Gloria

This looks yummy, Gloria! I will certainly try. Thanks!

Another way to do them, as suggested by Sara Moulton on the Food Network years ago, is to boil your potatoes and rice them. Put the riced potatoes into zip-top bags in the refrigerator, and when ready to use them, zap them in the microwave until hot. Dump into a bowl, adding milk, cream, butter, and seasonings.

The potatoes can be done up to three days in advance this way, and they come out perfectly. Since learning of this method, it is the only way I do potatoes for Thanksgiving.

Once I have them prepared, if I need to keep them warm, I set the bowl over a pan of simmering water until serving time.

On 4/18/2014 wildcat fan said:

On 4/18/2014 Gloria said:

I think you will find the potatoes more difficult to mash (they will be harder and cold).

Have you ever considered a make-ahead mashed potato dish? If you search (or go on Pinterest) there are tons of recipes. I make these every Christmas and they are a huge hit.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/tracys-make-ahead-mashed-potatoes-62579.aspx

I don't follow the recipe exactly. First of all, I use a 5 lb. bag of potatoes. Also, we don't like green onions, so we skip those. We've used chive and onion cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese (the entire small tub). We also sprinkle in some shredded cheddar and add some butter. I season with salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder. You can skip the bacon on top, if you want. I guess it is sort of like loaded mashed potatoes. Not a "diet" recipe, but they are good.

So, if you look at the recipe, you can see we put our mark on it and made it our own. The recipe is easy to follow and you can do your own thing. Best of all, you can make this up to two days ahead. They come out so good and creamy!

Gloria

This looks yummy, Gloria! I will certainly try. Thanks!

Thanks, wildcat fan! It really is a good recipe and you can kind of tailor it to what you like in mashed potatoes. What a timesaver this is on Christmas for me! Luckily, they are really good, too, so it isn't just a matter of convenience.

Gloria