Mash potato.....How much ??

whitevanman5
whitevanman5 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello there...

You know when it's a hot dinner or even Sunday dinner 9 out of 10 times mash potato's are involved. So how much is a reasonable portion ? What do you put in your mash ? Do you have an alternative to mash ?

Cheers
Wayne
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Replies

  • Jacq_qui
    Jacq_qui Posts: 443 Member
    Don't really eat it that much but when I do make it I sub about half of the potatoes with cauliflower. I use small potatoes, leave the skin on and just mash the cauli and pots with a fork - using just a little bit of spread and some herbs or black pepper. Then I put it back in the oven to crisp the edges up! I've been known to sprinkle a bit of cheese on top if it's within my calorie goal :0

    I think my portion size would be very different to yours though - we've all got different calorie goals :)
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    Depends on what I think will make a filling meal for myself, and what calories I have/need to use. There is no one size fits all.

  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    If you are making it yourself, you can use the recipe builder here and get the calories that way on whatever size serving you choose. You can lighten it up as the other suggested by substituting cauliflower for part of the potatoes, or you can substitute fat free sour cream in place of butter and use a little cashew or almond milk in place of milk to get it creamy.

    I don't typically replace any of the potato, but I do like using the sour cream in place of the butter!
  • LockdownLoser23
    LockdownLoser23 Posts: 93 Member
    A reasonable portion is generally the amount from the top of your middle finger to the top of your thumb. Spuds aren't the devil my friend, but you can mash anything if you boil it long enough. Have a play, see what you find you like....just don't add olive oil, that is ridiculous :'(
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,404 Member
    I eat smashed potatoes regularly. I actually bake it then smash it with the skin for those extra nutrients.

    I add Fage Greek yogurt, a splash of garlic EVOO, some parmesan cheese and spices. I use a red potato, 140-160g.
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    I eat mashed potatoes probably 3-4 times a year. It rarely occurs to me to make them. However, potatoes are pretty low in calories (about 155 cal for 200 g) so you can probably fit a decent sized portion into your daily meal plan. I like lots of butter, cream or sour cream in mine so that adds a whole lot of calories. Personally, I absolutely love mashed cauliflower (also with butter/cream), but I'm just neutral on the taste of mashed potatoes.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Depends on the calories, how much are you planning to eat for that meal? Generally, it's best to allocate calories for protein first, then whatever else you have a target for (vegetables for example), and the rest to wherever you like. I usually like to spend no more than 400 calories on mashed potatoes, so I have about 300 grams of it. Sometimes a little bit less when my protein is more fatty (like sausages). I like mine plain: potatoes, whole milk, butter, salt, pepper and nothing else. I hate gravy or anything else added to my potatoes.
  • martinsanderson862
    martinsanderson862 Posts: 3 Member
    Homemade Mashed potatoes are the best
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    I make mine with butter, milk, and plain greek yogurt. If I make it with nonfat milk and whole-fat yogurt to the consistency I like (with some body, not a bordering-on-liquid "puree"), it's close to 1 calorie per gram, and I generally like about 300 grams. It's not something I make often, so for me it's more likely to be the focal point of the meal than a side dish.
  • LockdownLoser23
    LockdownLoser23 Posts: 93 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    A reasonable portion is generally the amount from the top of your middle finger to the top of your thumb. Spuds aren't the devil my friend, but you can mash anything if you boil it long enough. Have a play, see what you find you like....just don't add olive oil, that is ridiculous :'(

    Asking for a homo sapiens friend whose thumb is opposable, so the distance between the top of their middle finger to the top of their thumb is highly variable: What position is the thumb meant to be in? Also, what are the other dimensions, as this describes a linear distance and mashed potatoes are measure by volume or weight?

    So basically extend the middle finger and thumb and lower the other fingers. You can fold the thumb in if you want, then stand in front of a mirror and check your hand :p
  • LockdownLoser23
    LockdownLoser23 Posts: 93 Member
    Deviette wrote: »
    I normally make mash with milk instead of butter so it's much less rich, but I can eat plenty with much lower calorie count.

    However I recently discovered that if you add courgette (zucchini) to it, it makes it taste creamy for very little calories. I tested it on my OH by not telling him I'd done something different to it and he didn't mention anything (and then went pushed if he liked the mash he said that it tasted like normal.

    For reference I peeled the courgette, cut it into chunks and boiled it with the potato then mash together afterwards. And I added a lot of courgette, almost 50/50 precooked bulk the first time, although with some experimentation think it's better closer to a third.

    This sounds badass! Love it - Respect
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,264 Member
    whitevanman5 wrote: »
    Hello there...

    You know when it's a hot dinner or even Sunday dinner 9 out of 10 times mash potato's are involved. So how much is a reasonable portion ? What do you put in your mash ? Do you have an alternative to mash ?

    Cheers
    Wayne


    well, for me 9 out of 10 hot dinners do not involve mashed potatoes.

    But I do eat them sometimes, probably on average once a week.

    My portions are about 100 - 150 gms.

    I make it by boiling diced potatoes until they are very soft, drain, mash up with a fork, adding a dollop of butter or margarine while they are still hot and then enough milk to make the right consistency.
    Quite simple.




  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    A reasonable portion is generally the amount from the top of your middle finger to the top of your thumb. Spuds aren't the devil my friend, but you can mash anything if you boil it long enough. Have a play, see what you find you like....just don't add olive oil, that is ridiculous :'(

    Asking for a homo sapiens friend whose thumb is opposable, so the distance between the top of their middle finger to the top of their thumb is highly variable: What position is the thumb meant to be in? Also, what are the other dimensions, as this describes a linear distance and mashed potatoes are measure by volume or weight?

    So basically extend the middle finger and thumb and lower the other fingers. You can fold the thumb in if you want, then stand in front of a mirror and check your hand :p

    Yeah but that's a straight line... then how wide/deep is the portion, if that is somehow "length" on the plate?
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    A reasonable portion is generally the amount from the top of your middle finger to the top of your thumb. Spuds aren't the devil my friend, but you can mash anything if you boil it long enough. Have a play, see what you find you like....just don't add olive oil, that is ridiculous :'(

    Asking for a homo sapiens friend whose thumb is opposable, so the distance between the top of their middle finger to the top of their thumb is highly variable: What position is the thumb meant to be in? Also, what are the other dimensions, as this describes a linear distance and mashed potatoes are measure by volume or weight?

    So basically extend the middle finger and thumb and lower the other fingers. You can fold the thumb in if you want, then stand in front of a mirror and check your hand :p

    :D:D

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I also don't make them that often -- pretty much standard for a holiday meal for me, but other than that I'm much more likely to have roasted potatoes if I have potatoes.

    Because I have them on holidays, I typically have as much as I like, and don't measure. I often do use the half cauliflower trick, since I think it actually adds a nice flavor. I don't usually have milk on hand, so will use just butter or butter and sour cream (sour cream is a great addition, so if I have it I use it). I add it to hot boiled potatoes (skin on) and then just mash them. Garlic can be a nice addition too, but requires more fuss and usually I have many other things going on and like the potatoes to be simple.
  • LockdownLoser23
    LockdownLoser23 Posts: 93 Member
    Go_Deskercise wrote: »
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    A reasonable portion is generally the amount from the top of your middle finger to the top of your thumb. Spuds aren't the devil my friend, but you can mash anything if you boil it long enough. Have a play, see what you find you like....just don't add olive oil, that is ridiculous :'(

    Asking for a homo sapiens friend whose thumb is opposable, so the distance between the top of their middle finger to the top of their thumb is highly variable: What position is the thumb meant to be in? Also, what are the other dimensions, as this describes a linear distance and mashed potatoes are measure by volume or weight?

    So basically extend the middle finger and thumb and lower the other fingers. You can fold the thumb in if you want, then stand in front of a mirror and check your hand :p

    :D:D

    Someone finally worked it out - :p
  • Go_Deskercise
    Go_Deskercise Posts: 1,630 Member
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    Go_Deskercise wrote: »
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    LockdownLoser23 wrote: »
    A reasonable portion is generally the amount from the top of your middle finger to the top of your thumb. Spuds aren't the devil my friend, but you can mash anything if you boil it long enough. Have a play, see what you find you like....just don't add olive oil, that is ridiculous :'(

    Asking for a homo sapiens friend whose thumb is opposable, so the distance between the top of their middle finger to the top of their thumb is highly variable: What position is the thumb meant to be in? Also, what are the other dimensions, as this describes a linear distance and mashed potatoes are measure by volume or weight?

    So basically extend the middle finger and thumb and lower the other fingers. You can fold the thumb in if you want, then stand in front of a mirror and check your hand :p

    :D:D

    Someone finally worked it out - :p

    Gave me a pretty good laugh on an otherwise boring work day, thanks! :)
  • KrissDotCom
    KrissDotCom Posts: 217 Member
    ....

    This is where i keep my comments to myself
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    edited July 2020
    I’m a terrible person to ask for this. I legit just ate mashed potatoes for dinner last night - not had them with my dinner, I only ate the mashed potatoes. I don’t have them often because I do have a bit of trouble controlling my portions. I never have an alternative and I’m not adding disgusting cauliflower to it.

    I would say half a cup is a reasonable serving size. That usually comes out to about 150 calories. I don’t add anything but a little bit of salt and pepper (butter is typically already mixed in so no need to add more).
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,216 Member
    According to Betty each box comes with 4x portions of 1/3 of a cup (23g to 29g) powdered potatoes that get hydrated with about 2 cups of boiling liquid. Each portion being about 80 to 120 Cal depending on flavours... and this assumes making them with water.

    So that would make each portion... about 0.83 of a cup for about 100 Cal. about 360-450 Cal for the tub. Add 175g of 0% greek yogurt mixed in and your favourite frozen vegetables separately nuked while the water was boiling in the electric kettle gismo... and you have a, literally, 5-6 minute to prepare from start to finish meal in the 700-800Cal range... especially if you use the Roasted Garlic ones and add say 10-16g of Garlic seasoning...

    Yes... I am a criminal for not boiling baby potatoes in pristine spring water and delicately smashing them with silver spoons!!!! :lol:
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    A "reasonable" portion is going to be different for me vs someone else. For me I would say 1/3 of my plate, x2 (servings). I don't weigh so I just loomp it on there. I like it with butter, milk, garlic, and chives.
  • joyanna2016
    joyanna2016 Posts: 323 Member
    Canned rutabagas are very soft and mash in nicely with potatoes and tastes great!
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    I also don't make them that often -- pretty much standard for a holiday meal for me, but other than that I'm much more likely to have roasted potatoes if I have potatoes.

    Because I have them on holidays, I typically have as much as I like, and don't measure. I often do use the half cauliflower trick, since I think it actually adds a nice flavor. I don't usually have milk on hand, so will use just butter or butter and sour cream (sour cream is a great addition, so if I have it I use it). I add it to hot boiled potatoes (skin on) and then just mash them. Garlic can be a nice addition too, but requires more fuss and usually I have many other things going on and like the potatoes to be simple.

    For the garlic, you can just smash a few cloves at the outset to get the skin off (or use a garlic press, or whatever your preferred method of getting the cloves separated from the skin is) and toss them in the boiling water with the potatoes at the outset. No need to try to fish them out when you drain the potatoes. This will give you a mild garlic flavor for what (to me) seems like a bare minimum of fuss.

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