Lefse (Easy Instant Mashed Potato Version) Recipe | CDKitchen (2024)

FAQs

Can I use instant mashed potatoes instead of breadcrumbs? ›

Kitchn also vouches for this breadcrumbs substitute, particularly as a gluten-free alternative. As the site describes, if you use instant mashed potatoes as your coating, the exterior will turn out delightfully crispy, and its interior will stay delectably moist.

Adding parmesan will give your spuds a slightly sharp umami flavor. Aged cheddar cheese can have quite a nip to it but can produce an ooey-gooey stretchy mashed potato with a sharp flavor. Crème fraîche is another lighter option that is a cross between a solid and a liquid. It has a fresh cream flavor.

As it turns out, I told her, instant potatoes are just potatoes that have been cooked, mashed, and then dehydrated—leaving you with crystallized, powdery flakes that you only need to rehydrate with hot liquid before serving.

Using chicken broth instead of water will give your instant potatoes a richer, more complex flavor, and no, they won't taste like chicken. If you don't have chicken broth on hand, you can use another broth—such as vegetable broth—instead.

In other respects they are similar to mashed fresh potatoes in their nutritional qualities, about two-thirds starch by dry weight, with smaller amounts of protein, dietary fiber, and vitamins. The largest difference is the loss of vitamin C, although some products may be enriched to compensate.

Instant mashed potatoes are dehydrated potato flakes or granules that, when liquid is added, create light and fluffy mashed tubers. A serving of these potatoes provides a dose of potassium, vitamin C, fiber, vitamin B6, magnesium, calcium, and iron (via LiveStrong).

Make the Box Better

Those same add-ins—chopped fresh herbs like chives or parsley, chopped cooked bacon, crumbled blue cheese, roasted garlic cloves and so on—will enhance the instant variety as well. Butter (not margarine) is a must, as is sour cream.

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

Do restaurants use instant mashed potatoes? ›

Instant mashed potatoes are convenient for busy food establishments like KFC — the only thing employees need to do is add water and mix. The peeling, cooking, and mashing, has already been done. The downside to instant mashed potatoes is that they aren't as fluffy and tend to be bland.

Add Heft with Dairy. Heavy cream can make instant mashed potatoes taste indulgent. Half and half or even regular milk (whole is better than skim, but 2% will do) adds extra creaminess. To give your mashed potatoes a light tanginess, go with buttermilk or sour cream.

Note: For a creamier mashed potato, stir in additional hot water or milk. Less salt can be added if desired. Note: All microwaves vary and heating times may have to be adjusted.

For most recipes, potato flakes can be used as a 1:1 substitute for bread crumbs. This means if a recipe calls for one cup of bread crumbs, one can use one cup of potato flakes instead.

It is a preferred alternative to panko and traditional breadcrumbs, and it is an enhanced presentation when other potato formats are introduced like shredded or sliced to create a diferentiated look and texture.

Functionally equivalent to wheat flour, instant mashed potatoes retain moisture and improve the texture of ground meat dishes such as meatloaf, meatballs, or meat patties.