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Does anyone else buy a giant bag of potatoes, use about four, then you’re left with the rest of them sitting there going mouldy? No more!
Now, when I’ve got leftover potatoes I use them to make frozen mash. It only takes a little bit longer than making a couple of portions, and it really speeds up dinner prep. Once you’ve made your frozen mash, making dishes like shepherd’s pie or fishcakes literally takes half the time.
When I was a student, mashed potato was my ultimate comfort food. Cooking mash from scratch for just one person is so annoying, so I went for the next best option, Aunt Bessie. Then when I couldn’t afford it… Smash. If I knew about this back then, I’d have spent a lot less time trying to make Smash taste less like dust.
This “recipe” if you can call it that, is so easy, it has to be worth a try. Plus, it’s a fraction of the price of Aunt Bessie’s (£2.31 a kilo) when you can get a sack of spuds from only 50p a kilo. Win-win.
You’ll need:
- Potatoes
- A potato peeler and a sharp knife
- A large saucepan
- A potato masher or ricer
- Milk, butter, seasonings and whatever else you usually choose to put in mash.
Method
Do I really need to explain how to make mash? Well, in case your mum never told you…
- Peel all of your potatoes.
- Cut them into equal sized chunks, don’t go too small, aim for golf ball sized-ish.
- Add your potatoes, and enough water to cover them into a pan. It’s quicker if you use water you’ve boiled with the kettle.
- Put them on the hob to simmer.
- How long it takes for them to cook will depend on how many you’re doing, but start them for 15 minutes then check. You’ll know they’re done when you stab them with a fork and the potato slides off easily.
- Drain your potatoes and return them to the pan.
- Mash the potatoes until lump-free. Then add butter or margarine, salt and pepper. Some people like to add a splash of milk or cream cheese. I’ve also heard of people mixing in egg yolks! Once defrosted, this mash goes a bit wetter than it is when you make it fresh, so bear that in mind.
How to freeze mashed potato
I’ve tried a few different methods of freezing mash taken from other blogs. However, none of them are as successful as my method, trust me!
You’ll need:
- A mould
- Freezer bag(s)
The mould
I have tried the method that doesn’t use a mould. It’s not great.
1. because when you dollop mash onto a flat surface, it creates a jagged shape. Then when you put the frozen dollops into a freezer bag, all the hard edges and corners knock against each other and break off. Then you’re left with only mash crumbs.
The number 2 reason it’s better to use a mould – baking trays don’t like to be frozen! Mine literally changed colour and haven’t gone back to normal since… I don’t know what happened. Once frozen, the mash sticks to it HARD, too. I had to chisel at them with a palette knife to take them off the tray.
My brother gave me this mould, it’s heart shaped. I’ve got no idea what it’s actually for! The more easily accessible version of this is a silicone muffin tray (affiliate link). You can pick these up verrry cheaply if you don’t already have one. I use a ramekin sometimes when I make too much for my mould. Line it with clingfilm if you want to be able to pop the mash out in its frozen state.
I recommend you choose a mould where each section is about the size of a 1 or 2 person portion of mash. I would not recommend freezing mashed potato into a silicone loaf tin (for example), as it’s impossible to divide it up later once it’s a giant solid block.
How to freeze and reheat your mash
The important thing is to make sure it’s a smooth shape. I told you what happens to jagged edges.
Once you’re sure it is, pop it in the freezer overnight.
When it’s rock solid, put your mash potato portions into a resealable freezer bag.
When you want to cook with it, just put it into the microwave for 30 seconds – 1 minute and it’ll be done.
I like to shove a couple of lumps of frozen mash into the oven with cheese on top for the world’s easiest side dish. (It’s also less wet when you defrost using an oven).
This is the world’s most hideous picture of some fishcakes I made with my frozen mash potato.
What do you think? Is this something you’re going to give a try?
Like money saving food posts? Read my guide to buying and storing spices.
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