Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes - delicious and simple, but kind of a pain to make. How many times have I burned my fingers trying to remove hot potatoes from hot water? Then there's the variability of cooking time - you want them done but not TOO done, and then you don't want them to sit in that water and end up with pasty mashed potatoes. It can be a bit stressful.

No more of that! Using the Instant Pot makes it so easy. Cooking the potatoes in the instant pot with the milk makes it so simple, and there's nothing to drain! I hope to never boil potatoes for mashing again.

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

4lbs Potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 cup Milk (I used Buttermilk)
1/2 tsp Salt (to taste)
1 tsp Pepper

Toss the peeled, quartered potatoes into the instant pot. Add milk, salt and pepper. Close the lid, turn the seal so it's closed, and push the Manual button and adjust the time down to 10 minutes. When it's done, release the pressure. Add butter to taste, and mash with a potato masher right in the pot. Done!

If you prefer to whip your potatoes, you can still keep this a one-pot dish and use your hand mixer right in the instant pot insert. :)

Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad

This salad goes perfectly with Jamaican Jerk Chicken.  It's cold and refreshing, colorful and not unhealthy. And it tastes amazing!

Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad

2 white or yellow Potato, peeled and quartered
2 Sweet Potato, peeled and quartered
1 cup Corn (thaw if frozen)
2 Cucumbers, chopped
1 Red Onion, diced
1 Red, Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped

Dressing:
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
4 Tbsp Lime Juice
6 Tbsp fresh Cilantro, chopped
2-3 clove Garlic, minced
6 Tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Cook white potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes, then add sweet potatoes and cook 15 min more. When they are cooked, let cool and chop.

In large bowl, combine dressing ingredients and then add veggies, stirring to coat. Chill for an hour if you can so the flavors can meld. Serve.

Foil Packet Dinners

Did you ever go camping, maybe in scouts, and make foil dinners that cook on the campfire? We love this meal so much we make it at home, sometimes on the grill and sometimes just baking in the oven.

It's so easy to do, and everyone can have his own packet made just the way he likes. My husband likes bell peppers and corn in his, plus a ton of black pepper. I prefer the basics - green beans, potatoes and carrots with my hamburger patty. The kids don't want any green beans so theirs is customized for them.

Foil Packet Dinners

Meat (if desired) - hamburger patty or chicken tenders or boneless/skinless breast work great
Cut up veggies - diced potatoes, snapped green beans, sliced carrots, chopped onion, frozen corn, etc.
Seasoning - salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, anything you like can go in

Lay out one large sheet of foil for each person. You can make a layer of onions first, or just set the meat right in the middle. Add veggies around meat. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bring up the sides and add just a little bit of water to help steam the veggies, and seal well. Use a sharpie to write the name or initial of each person on the packets.  Grill on indirect heat, or bake at 350* for 45 minutes to an hour.

Check the veggies for doneness and continue to cook until they are fork-tender. Serve! We love to dip our meat and veggies in homemade ranch dressing.

Potatoes au Gratin

My family also calls this dish "Old Rotten Taters" :) Carbs and cheese... yum.  Some of our family recipes are also eligible for my diet blog, but this is not one of them.

Potatoes au Gratin

3-4 lbs Russet Potatoes, peeled

2 cups Shredded Cheese (I like colby/jack)

1/2 cup Milk

3 Tbsp Butter (softened or melted)

1/2 tsp Onion Salt

dash White Pepper (or Black Pepper if your kids don't mind seeing it in their food, unlike mine)

Preheat oven to 350*.  Spray baking dish with nonstick spray.  Slice potatoes very thin and layer half in the prepared dish.  Sprinkle with 1 cup shredded cheese.  Layer the rest of the potatoes over the cheese.

Mix milk, butter, onion salt and pepper, and pour over potatoes.  Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and serve.

If you prefer, microwave for 15 minutes instead of baking.

Shepherd's Pie

My kids love this.  It's one of the few meat dishes they will both happily eat.  I like making it in my deep cast iron skillet and throwing the whole thing in the oven to bake.  Yay for less dishes to wash!  I hope one day I will be able to add veggies to it.  Sigh.  My husband loves to bring the leftovers to work for lunch.


Shepherd's Pie


1 lb Ground Beef
1 small Onion, diced
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder to taste
10 oz pks Frozen Corn
4-5 large Potatoes
Milk or Buttermilk
Butter


Preheat oven to 350*.


Boil potatoes until they break when pierced with a fork.  Drain and mash with milk and butter.  Set aside.


Brown ground beef with onions until done.  Turn off heat and add frozen corn.  Spread evenly in the bottom of oven-safe dish.  Top with mashed potatoes and bake for 20 minutes.  Top with cheese if desired.

Fingerling "Tater Skins"

Oh my, I kicked it up one notch with these little fingerling potatoes and if you really wanted to go crazy you could go even further.

Tonight I cut the fingerlings in half length-wise, and roasted them at 400* for about 40 minutes until they were done.  Then I smashed each one with the bottom of a glass jar and sprinkled shredded cheese over them.

If I'd been planning ahead I'd have added some crumbled bacon and sour cream.  If you try that, let me know!

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

These little fingerling potatoes are the cutest things!  They cook up quickly and have a really nice creamy texture.

For a quick side dish, I boiled some small fingerlings until they were done, then spread them out onto a baking sheet and smashed each one with the bottom of a glass jar.  I sprinkled with a little salt and roasted them for about 10 minutes on 350* to crisp them up and they were delicious!