Alfredo Mashers
Instant potatoes turned rich with milk powder, parmesan, and a slug of oil.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 4.4 oz
- cal / oz
- 141
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 3 min
- total time
- 5 min
- water
- 240 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Bikepacking
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Plain instant mashed potato flakes | 3/4 cup | plain, not a seasoned pouch |
|---|---|---|
| Dry milk powder | 2 tbsp | |
| Shelf-stable grated parmesan | 2 tbsp | the green can kind, it does not need cold |
| Dry alfredo sauce mix | 1 tbsp | check the label if you need it gluten-free |
| Granulated garlic | 1/4 tsp | |
| Ground black pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | one packet, or a dropper bottle |
Method
- Bring 240 ml of water to a boil with the oil in it.
- Pull the pot off the stove. Wait ten seconds so it stops rolling.
- Add the dry mix a third at a time, stirring between additions.
- Let it stand two minutes. It thickens as it sits, so stop stirring before it looks done.
- Stir once more and eat straight from the pot.
Instant potato flakes are the fastest hot dinner in a pack, but plain ones are thin and taste like paste. The fix is fat and dry dairy. Milk powder rebuilds the body that water alone cannot, the parmesan brings salt and glutamate, and the tablespoon of oil is where a third of the calories actually live.
Boiling the oil with the water matters. Poured on top it sits in a slick; stirred in from the start it emulsifies into the potato. Add the dry mix in stages too, because dumping it all at once gives you dry pockets that never hydrate. Potatoes carry a lot of potassium, which is worth something after a long hot day of sweating.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one quart freezer bag at home. The oil rides in its own packet. In the bag, mix by squeezing before you open it, or the parmesan clumps.
Variations
- Stir in a pop-top can or a 7 oz pouch of chicken breast with its liquid. Adds about 40 g of protein and roughly 7 oz of pack weight for the pouch.
- Skip the pot. Pour the boiling water into the freezer bag, seal it, and let it sit in a cozy for five minutes.
- A packet of broth concentrate instead of the garlic makes it savorier and saltier for a hot, sweaty day.
https://trailcooking.com/2019/01/18/taters-made-portable-10-recipes-for-hiking