Lazy J Bar C

Lazy J Bar C

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Freezing Potatoes

Have you ever had a potato go bad in the cupboard? A rotten potato smells worse than just about anything I know. Blech!!

I had one go bad in a bag of red-skinned potatoes this week, which is why I usually don't buy bags of potatoes this time of year. They just don't keep well during our rainy season. However, there was a really good sale on 5-pound bags of red-skinned potatoes and I just couldn't resist!

Luckily, I found a way to salvage the rest of the bag. I know lots of folks can or dehydrate extra potatoes but I didn't have that many and I wanted a quick and easy way to preserve these. I looked online and found lots of info on freezing mashed potatoes. Most recommended using red-skinned or Yukons in this instance because the Idaho (baking) potatoes get mushy/mealy when frozen as mashed potatoes. The next time I have extra Idaho potatoes, I'm going to try Grace from Queen Of The Red Doublewide's suggestion for homemade frozen hashbrowns. :)

For frozen mashed potatoes, just make your favorite mashed potato recipe and let cool a bit. Then, use an ice-cream scoop to portion out servings onto a cookie sheet lined with foil. This could also help with portion control. I don't know about you, but I tend to overeat when it comes to mashed potatoes, my ultimate comfort food. Yum!!


Put them in the freezer until they are frozen solid and then pop them off of the cookie sheet and put them into a freezer bag. To serve, remove however many portions needed and reheat them from frozen in the microwave. You could also thaw them overnight in the refrigerator and heat them in the oven.


Not only did I save the rest of the bag of potatoes but I now have a ready made side dish in the freezer for busy nights when time is short for cooking supper. My only problem with this was having to eat the extra potatoes that didn't fit on the cookie sheet. Yep, comfort food at it's finest. ;)

Linking up with Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

19 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

you had me at 'ultimate comfort food' - mine, too! if i was gonna freeze 'em, i'd have to freeze MUCH larger portions. :)

brokenteepee said...

Very spiffy

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Mashed potatoes are one of my downfalls....I eat them until I am stuffed and enjoy and savor every last bite!....:)JP

Anonymous said...

What a great idea... do you think you could just fry them in a bit of oil straight out of the freezer?? Thanks for sharing on RBH this week!

Liz said...

This is such a good idea! I always end up with one of those stinky rotten potatoes.

Anonymous said...

I love this idea!

Visiting from Rurality Blog Hop #24.

~Lindy

Michelle said...

Will be doing this with my potatoes this year. Thanks for the tip. Great idea.

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh I LOVE this idea I really love mashed potatoes and throwing rotten ones out always makes me sad. Yes the smell is horrible. B

Anonymous said...

Comfort food is right ~ Great post ~ thanks ^_^

Sally in WA said...

This is a great idea!

Susan said...

What a great idea! Mashed potatoes are my favorite comfort food, too. I think I could live on them!

Latane Barton said...

That is a fabulous idea. I have to remember how to do that when I have extra potatoes.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I have dehydrated them, I have also frozen them as hashbrowns, but I have never frozen mashed potatoes. Great idea Candy! I'll remember this for next season. Most of my garden is under water this year. Poo....

Anonymous said...

This is a great idea! I love to freeze individual meals to take to work with me.

Tanya Breese said...

well that's a great idea and yes, a bad potato smells awful!

Unknown said...

Excellent advice!
I'm marking this blog post as a favorite so I can find it later.
Thanks.

Mary Smith said...

YUM! Mashed potatoes are definitely welcome on the table here any day.
Thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful weekend!

2 Tramps said...

Thanks for posting this idea - I am sure going to be doing it here. I have some potatoes that need using up and some cauliflower I will add to them - kind of balances out the cream cheese I will beat into the mashed mix!!

A Colorful World said...

This is an awesome idea! This is the kind of thing that helps out when you need to come up with dinner fast, and as you said, the portion control is good too. I will give you a call some time after my surgery on Wednesday or Thursday...we're good for a phone visit!