Use Your Crock-Pot to Make Real Mashed Potatoes While at Work
Instant mashed potatoes may be your go-to side dish for dinner after a long day at work, but they sure don't have the same comfort-food appeal as homemade mashed potatoes. With a little planning and your trusty Crock-Pot, you can cook tasty homemade mashed potatoes while you're slaying the day at work.
This simple recipe will conjure up memories of Thanksgiving meals.
Total Time: 5 to 6 hours | Prep Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 8 to 12
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds russet potatoes, washed and peeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups milk, divided
Directions:
- Using a sharp knife, cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes and place in a 6- or 8-quart greased Crock-Pot.
- Add salt, pepper and 1 1/2 cups of milk to the potato mixture and stir.
- Plug in your Crock-Pot, set it to high and cook for 4 to 5 hours. Then turn the setting to warm until you're ready to mash.
- In a small saucepan, gently warm 1 1/2 cups of milk over low heat and pour over the potato mixture in the Crock-Pot.
- With a potato masher or electric mixer set to low speed, blend the potatoes until creamy. Do not over mix.
- Keep your mashed potatoes in the Crock-Pot set to warm until you're ready to serve.
Tip
- A programmable Crock-Pot may be helpful if you have an especially long day at work or a busy after-school schedule.
- If you're looking to save calories, replace the milk added to the Crock-Pot before cooking with vegetable or chicken broth. Add flavor to your potatoes with onion or garlic powder when mashing. Or, for a little kick, consider Cajun spice.
References
Writer Bio
Jill Corleone is a registered dietitian and health coach who has been writing and lecturing on diet and health for more than 15 years. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Diabetes Self-Management and in the book "Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation," edited by John R. Bach, M.D. Corleone holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition.