I made more potatoes than I needed for a party, now I need to know…can I freeze Mashed potatoes?

Before answering, a couple of tips for future party planning. Just six pounds of Idaho® Potatoes will yield 25 ½ cup servings.

If the potatoes were all heated up and left out warm for guests, the next issue is going to not be with the potatoes, but with the dairy added. Milk, buttermilk, cream, etc. can curdle or turn once heated and then brought out from a frozen state and reheated. Same with the butter or margarine. So, you can try, but it may not turn out as good the second time.

My trick is to make up enough for the first batch, and save the mashed potatoes (without dairy) in the refrigerator. Then you have the option of freezing, or leaving for several days in refrigeration for use later.

Chef David Knickrehm of Bella Aquila in Eagle Idaho uses his left over mashed (he actually makes extra with the dairy added) by sealing in a plastic storage bag over night in the cooler and then making into strips and cutting into potato pasta, or gnocchi. Find several gnocchi recipe examples here.

By the way, if you got creative with the mashed the first time and added garlic or onions, don’t freeze the mashed potatoes as both of these bulbs will become transparent and slimy.