Real potatoes are the delicious, comforting star in this easy no-faux mashed potatoes recipe.
If you are following the Trim Healthy Mama plan, you may have missed the big announcement that occurred about yellow, red, and purple potatoes being on plan.
Who these potatoes are on plan for can vary. Some people struggle with them spiking their blood sugar levels. If this is you, then you should probably not enjoy them.
However, if your blood sugar does NOT negatively spike when you enjoy potatoes, then definitely go for it! They’re great for your thyroid. Just don’t forget to add a source of protein along with it.
In celebration of potatoes being on plan and since Thanksgiving is coming up, I decided to share my mashed potatoes recipe that I have tweaked throughout the years since I was a teenager. It may not be super unique, but it is super yummy and people ask for the recipe all the time. So, here it is (and now I can direct my friends who ask for this recipe to my website–shameless ulterior motive: more traffic lol).
If you’re curious as to why I dubbed them “no-faux” mashed potatoes, it’s because these are completely on plan for Trim Healthy Mama, but they are NOT faux (fake or imposter) potatoes. Absolutely NO cauliflower or rutabaga here!
Which Potatoes to Use
You can literally use any kind of regular potato in this mashed potatoes recipe. However, to keep it on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, you should stick to the colored potatoes such as red potatoes, purple potatoes, or yellow Yukon gold potatoes. I prefer Yukon gold in this application because they tend to be more moist and flavorful (in my opinion) than other kinds of potatoes.
These Mashed Potatoes in an E Meal
If you’re doing Trim Healthy Mama, please note that this recipe (made with the E variation) has the maximum amount of added fat you can have in an entire E meal (5 grams or 1 teaspoon). That means that if you want your meal to remain an E, you’ll want to avoid any other added fats. Stick to a lean protein like chicken breast or lean turkey prepared without any added fat.
That said, you can also enjoy this in a Crossover meal. If you add gravy (depending on the specific gravy’s ingredients), this may add fat. Or if you enjoy it with your dark Thanksgiving turkey meat, then it will also become a Crossover. This is fine! Enjoy!
Don’t Forget Protein!
As I already kinda mentioned, you’ll obviously want to remember protein with this meal. Stick to lean protein such as chicken breast or lean turkey.
TJ’s No-faux Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 teaspoon mineral salt
- 1 cup plain unsweetened almond or cashew milk (or more if the mashed potatoes seem dry)
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter for a THM E OR ½ cup (1 stick) butter for a THM XO
- 5 cloves garlic, minced OR 5 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
- 4 ounces (½ package) ⅓ fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 to 2 tablespoons dried herbs of choice OR 4 to 6 tablespoons fresh herbs of choice, chopped (optional) (ideas: parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, dill, rosemary; I usually go with a tablespoon of parsley and ½ teaspoon dried dill)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- mineral salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes (they don't have to be perfect). Cut them into 1-inch chunks. Rinse thoroughly with cold water (to remove some of the starch) then place them in a large pot with cold water and the 1 teaspoon mineral salt.
- Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down a notch or a few to prevent boiling over. Allow to boil until the potato chunks are tender enough to stab or cut easily with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes (give or take).
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or a microwave safe dish, heat the milk, butter, and garlic together until the butter has just melted (do not simmer or boil). Set aside.
Thoroughly drain the potatoes and gently rinse them with very hot tap water (to remove some of the starch). Return to the pot. Using a potato masher or a potato ricer, mash the potatoes. It's okay if some chunks remain if you don't mind them. Alternatively, you can achieve super smooth mashed potatoes by running them in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. - Thoroughly stir in the warm milk and butter mixture, cream cheese, herbs, onion powder, garlic powder, and as much additional salt and pepper that you want (to taste).
Serve in ½ cup servings. A 4-ounce scoop can help with portioning.
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