Mash potato.....How much ??

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: 429 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: 2,982 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: 33,907 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: 9,950 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
    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: 8,931 Member
    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
    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
    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