# Tell me why I'm wrong about mashed potatoes. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 11, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384 "2019-06-11T17:28:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![GuyTanzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@GuyTanzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyTanzer)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384/101 "2019-06-15T03:13:47Z")
Mashed potatoes are just a lot easier on my stomach as I age. Grease doesn’t digest anywhere near as well any more, so fried crap is now very rationed for me. We played with a shepherd’s pie using mild Italian sausage which livens it up quite a bit. I tend to think of grits as breakfast mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Woofdogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Woofdogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woofdogs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384/102 "2019-06-15T17:46:16Z")
Well but you don’t HAVE to mash potatoes to a consistent texture. I mean there’s no law or anything. The Mashed Potato Police won’t come and take you away. I personally don’t care for whipped potatoes either. But if you mash them just a little bit and stop while they’re still pretty lumpy you have a whole different thing which is very good indeed. Add some butter and maybe cream when you mash them and STOP mashing while they are still good and lumpy. Then the next day you form the leftovers into little pancakes and fry them in butter until a golden and crispy crust is formed. Sometimes I make lumpy mashed potatoes for the sole purpose of making potato pancakes. Delicious! ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384/103 "2019-06-23T01:20:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This. The key is to make them dense. What he said. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Around here, restaurants served mashed potatoes with the peel on, calling them “smashed potatoes.” My mother never peeled potatoes, no matter how she was cooking them. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384/104 "2019-06-23T16:07:21Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Mashed 'taters lack any palatable texture to me. I think you posted your own counter argument. It’s the variety of textures from different foods that add to the food experience. Unless EVERYTHING on your plate is mashed then potatoes in that form are complementary to the other foods and textures. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384/105 "2019-06-23T19:08:39Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > A fair point. Guess I’m going to go with “Can’t make Devil’s Tower out of fried potatoes” > [@Jophiel](#): > > You also can’t make a good volcano out of hash browns. It is also hard to [be a zit](https://youtu.be/74Kn1pNIlq8) without mashed potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384/106 "2019-06-24T17:47:24Z")
Mashed potatoes are proof that Og exists and she wants us to be happy. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384/107 "2019-06-27T20:10:50Z")
I love a big heap of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, so I can carve out a nice depression to fill and make a lake of gravy. Then make a trench on the side that faces the meat and let Gravy River flood Turkey Town. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-mashed-potatoes/835384.md?page=5)