Loaded Instant Mashed Potatoes
Two minutes from cold and tired to hot and fed.
- calories
- 700
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 140
- protein
- 16 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 1 min
- cook
- 3 min
- total time
- 4 min
- water
- 400 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
- Winter / snow
- Thru-hike
- Vegetarian
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Powdered milk | 2 tbsp | |
| Powdered cheese or parmesan | 2 tbsp | |
| Bacon bits | 2 tbsp | the shelf-stable kind |
| Dried chives, garlic powder, black pepper | 1 tsp total | |
| Butter powder or olive oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Premix everything dry into a freezer bag at home.
- Boil 400 ml of water and pour it straight into the bag.
- Stir hard for 30 seconds. Lumps form in the first ten and never leave.
- Add the fat, stir again, and let it sit for two minutes.
This is the meal for the night you got to camp late, cold, and past the point of caring. Two minutes, one boil, no simmer, and it is 700 calories.
It is also the best emergency meal to carry an extra of. It weighs five ounces and it fixes a bad evening.
Packing
One freezer bag per dinner, labeled. In a storm you will not want to be measuring anything.
Variations
- A foil packet of salmon stirred in makes it a serious dinner.
- Instant gravy powder in place of the cheese, if you grew up somewhere it snowed.