Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes Can Be Frozen and Reheated
Potatoes are notorious for being difficult to heat up. Baked potatoes, French fries, and potato pancakes are the best to eat straight out of the oven, deep fryer or skillet, and it is difficult – some would say “impossible” – to bring them back to their former glory. Mashed potatoes, however, are an exception, and they are a very good solution, as it means you cook, freeze, and reheat them for Thanksgiving (or the occasional Tuesday).
Why do mashers stand out where others fail? Their secret is the same as mine: they are full of butter and cream. In the same way that my fat protects me from a single week of snow in Oregon, the creamy milk pair protects the potatoes from thawing in the freezer.
Just cook the potatoes as usual with a lot of butter and cream – you can use my recipe if you like – let it cool, then put it in a freezer bag, simmer so that the bag lies flat. Store them in the freezer until you are ready to eat them.
The night before you plan to serve them (for example, the night before Thanksgiving or on a random Monday), remove them from the freezer and let them defrost in the refrigerator. Then you have two options for reheating:
- In the oven: Place the potatoes in a casserole or other ovenproof dish, sprinkle with butter and a little cream on top. (For four pounds of potatoes, I use two tablespoons of butter and a quarter cup of cream.) Cover and heat in 350 degree oven for half an hour, stirring halfway. Slow cooking keeps them from scalding and tarnishing, and the added butter and cream keep them from drying out.
- In a multicooker: Pour the potatoes into a multicooker and heat over low heat for two hours. Look at them after an hour and add some cream if they seem a little dry.
Serve the potatoes with the turkey with plenty of gravy, or simply eat them out of a bowl without any additives as you like.