Comments on: Mashed Potatoes, Lightened Up

By: Betty

Betty — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:16:58 +0000

I use peeled, cut-up and boiled baking potatoes when making my mashed potates. I add one 8-ounce package of softned cream cheese and Greek seasoning. No need to add milk, cream or butter. Just add pepper and Greek seasoning while mixing with the mixer to taste. This recipe was given to me by my neighbor. They are really YUMMY and my husband likes them so much, he doesn't like them fixed any other way.

By: Martha

Martha — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:53:36 +0000

I also use buttermilk (which is low fat) and omit the butter/margerine for creamy mashed potatoes. Sometimes I'll roast garlic cloves for a great garlic mashed. I leave the skins on.

Also, rather than boiling, I'll bake in a covered roasting pan on rack with about a cup of water in the bottom of the pan. I do this with sweet potatoes also and it keeps the skins moist.

By: EDNA

EDNA — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:53:26 +0000

Now that sounds easy enough & energy efficient too!

By: Edna Dippre

Edna Dippre — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:45:39 +0000

I agree with you. I have NEVER heard of heavy cream or sour cream used in mashed potatoes either. Now I use Lactade for milk due to health problems but it tastes like milk in my cereal so it works for potatoes too. When I used to use skimmed milk, my husband would say he wanted to use "real" milk in them.
Hey, as kids we also learned that you ate what was served to you. No special dishes for each person. People are spoiled today. My brother-in-law will NOT eat leftovers of any kind! And if there are not waffles made with the turkey dinner he won't eat. Too bad baby! When in my house you eat what I make. He is just rude.
I always use some kind of milk & a little margarine too. I now use sea salt a lot & ground pepper. Sometimes I will add some parsley flakes but they are still pretty basic mashed potatoes. Spices are one of the best ways to add flavor without a ton of calories & fat to any dish. Lets get back to basics here…It's a traditional holiday meal.
No matter what you do or how you like your potaotes made, enjoy your family & have a wonderful Thanksgiving! That's what it's really all about…

By: Ann Reed

Ann Reed — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:34:57 +0000

I've never even heard of using heavy cream or half and half in mashed potatoes, and certainly not as much butter as was mentioned in the article… perhaps because my mother was a nurse, we were raised not eating a lot of the fattening, unhealthy southern cooking that my grandmothers always fed us when we went to visit (not that I didn't LOVE their cooking, mind you!)… I usually use skim milk (although I have been known to use 2% for those who think using skim is akin to being an atheist), and a little margarine – just enough margarine to give them some flavor, along with a little sea salt and lots of black pepper… I've never had any complaints about my mashed taters, nor any comparisons made to how much better "mom/grandmom/anyone else" makes them.

By: ptwigg

ptwigg — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:13:40 +0000

Another great liquid to use is fat free half and half. You still get the creamy without the fat. I use it in lots of recipes that call for cream.

By: SuEllen Noelck

SuEllen Noelck — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:36:11 +0000

I have used buttermilk when making mashed potatoes. Give good buttery and tangy flavor. No cream or butter. Much lighter. My family thinks my mashed potatoes are the best.

By: Lynn & Tony Cerullo

Lynn & Tony Cerullo — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:31:10 +0000

Perfect Sweet Potato Fries…cut three medium sweet potatoes into long, slim fries. Put potatoes into a zip lock with less than a 1/4 cup olive oil. Shake to coat. Foil cover your baking pan or sheet. Bake at 400* for 35 minutes. Season as you wish.

By: Rachael Gunnell

Rachael Gunnell — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:58:26 +0000

Great ideas. My son thinks a Sunday dinner without mashed potatoes is a crime, so I make them at least once a week. I ususally use fat-free sour cream and skim milk or buttermilk and they are absolutely wonderful. Sometimes a little roasted garlic. Always just a little margarine instead of butter.

By: Colleen

Colleen — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:56:51 +0000

My husband cannot possibly give up his mashed potatoes!! So, I use “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” in place of the real thing, and also skimmed milk. Very fluffy mashed potatoes! Don’t miss the heavy cream or butter at all! For special occasions, I throw in a little Fat Free Half-n-Half. I’ve also been known to add about 1/3 of a small block of reduced fat cream cheese, in place of some of the butter. When the menu dictates something beyond regular mashed, I add a couple cloves of chopped garlic to the potatoes as they are boiling – the cloves easily mix in the potatoes for a wonderful flavor!