Lefse (Easy Instant Mashed Potato Version) Recipe | CDKitchen (2024)

FAQs

Should you use milk instead of water for instant mashed potatoes? ›

Most instant potato varieties call for you to combine the potatoes with water, but if you want your potatoes to taste a bit more indulgent, use milk instead. Whole milk will yield delightfully rich potatoes, but 2 percent milk works well too.

Then, prepare the potatoes: Bring 1¼ cups water to boil in a small saucepan. Once bubbling away, remove from heat, add 1 cup instant mashed potatoes (2 oz.), and gently fluff with a fork.

Those same add-ins—chopped fresh herbs like chives or parsley, chopped cooked bacon, crumbled blue cheese, roasted garlic cloves and so on—will enhance the instant variety as well. Butter (not margarine) is a must, as is sour cream. Instant potatoes offer a couple of additional variables for you to play with.

Whether you're making instant mashed potatoes or real ones, you can basically put anything you want in them. I actually use cream cheese and half-and-half most of the time. If you don't have milk, you can use water, any kind of broth, half-and-half, melted butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, plain yogurt, kefir…

Good quality dried oregano or chive especially in potatoes is also awesome. Sea salt and ground pepper (grind fresh peppercorns yourself) is great for giving extra flavor to food. A bit of nutmeg can be very yummy to add into mashed potatoes as well.

Boil the water and then add in the butter and salt. Once you remove your pan from the heat, add the cold milk and potato flakes and stir gently. Fluff your homemade mashed potato flakes with a fork and let sit for a few moments to thicken before serving.

Too much liquid: This is the most common reason. In the mashing process you may have added too much milk or broth. Boiled too long: Boiling your potatoes for too long can make them water-logged, which (you guessed it) can contribute to runny mashed potatoes.

Add cold water to fill-line in cup. Stir thoroughly to moisten all potatoes. Microwave uncovered on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes.

Note: For a creamier mashed potato, stir in additional hot water or milk. Less salt can be added if desired.

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

How do you keep instant mashed potatoes from getting gummy? ›

Don't overmix the potatoes! For mashed potatoes that are smooth without being gummy, a potato ricer is your best bet.

I've done some garlic and cheese. Anything on the stuffed potato menu. Bacon, sour cream, onions, green onions, really great butter, chicken fixins has always done me good.

Heat water, milk and margarine* according to the chart below in a sauce pan to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in Idahoan REAL Premium. Let stand one minute. Mix with fork and serve.

If they're dry, you could add milk and butter. If you prefer something richer, you could use half 'n half or even heavy whipping cream if you like it extremely rich. You could add chopped garlic for garlic mashed potatoes. You could also add shredded cheddar cheese for cheesy potatoes.

This absorptive property is what makes milk powder a great thickener for mashed potatoes. Mix it into your runny bowl of spuds so that it can soak up the extra moisture, resulting in the firm mash you desire. Put your runny mashed potatoes in a bowl and add the powdered milk bit by bit.

If your mashed potatoes are done too soon, they could cool or dry out before the meal. Start the potatoes during the last hour of cooking, when you start the gravy. If that's too much, keep mashed potatoes warm in a slow cooker. Stir in a little warm milk or butter for added moisture.