cottage pie

krlyr

melanzana wrote: »

I make Cottage pie and freeze the mince part and the spud parts separately.

Then I can assemble on the day. It works great for me.

Now for those who say why don't you just put the spuds on the mince and freeze together? Well, is suppose I could, but have always done it this way.
Wnd I can add more spuds if I want to bulk it out, from my frozen stash!

Ditto this. Also, freezing separately gives a bit more variety in our diets IMO. For example, if we didn't fancy cottage pie, we could have sausage and mash instead, and have the mince on a jacket potato another time.
I freeze in microwavable takeaway tubs. Zap for 5-10 mins, put in oven-proof dish, add grated cheese and back in the oven/grill to crisp up.

lostinrates

The only thing I do differently to above is freeze in oven safe dishes (I bought individual ones quite inexpensively in a supermarket, but they could be found as bargains in all the usual OS haunts I think. I then wrap in cling or foil and label with a big white sticker. This way they can be taken out the night before, but there is no transferring to another dish, so less washing up and less mess. Transferring I manage to plaster worksurfaces and walls. I am not neat!

ostrichnomore_2

I freeze mine with the potato on and haven't noticed it going hard once defrosted and reheated. I usually do a bit of fresh gravy to go with them though.

cepheus

ostrichnomore wrote: »

I freeze mine with the potato on and haven't noticed it going hard once defrosted and reheated. I usually do a bit of fresh gravy to go with them though.

Do you use real potatoes and add butter?

cepheus

A quick Google yields this


Can I make the mashed potatoes ahead and reheat them in the oven the next day?


The short answer to that question is "No, please don't do that." But, since I want you to understand why I'm telling you what I'm telling you, I will elaborate.
Potatoes, especially the ones that we like to use for mashed potatoes (Russets and even Yukons), contain large starch granules. When we cook them the starch granules swell up, or gelatinize, giving us the light and fluffy texture that we expect in a potato. Agitating the potatoes while they are still warm breaks up these fluffy starch granules. That's how we get a nice and creamy mashed potato. Here's the problem, though. Once your wonderful warm and creamy mashed potatoes cool, the starches firm up and what you're left with is cold and clumpy glue.

If you absolutely must reheat your mashed potatoes, cook and mash just the potatoes the day before. Then, reheat with your additional ingredients right before serving. Of course, you'll still be left with the issue of burner space.
An alternative is to mash the potatoes the day before with all of your other ingredients, but with more liquid than what you would normally use. You'll want the potatoes to be a bit looser in consistency than how you would normally serve them. When you reheat them, your potatoes should be at about the right consistency for serving.

Another trick I have seen for reheating mashed potatoes is to hold them in a crock pot set on low. This might be an option for you if you have the counter space. I would recommend stirring them periodically to keep them as evenly-heated as possible.

I don't think that you should try and reheat the potatoes without agitating them, unless you are going for a more sliceable end-product. If you want a fresh-mashed consistency, you're going to have to use a masher again or at least stir them vigorously with a spoon

http://reluctantgourmet.com/tips-guides/tips-facts/item/712-mashed-potato-tips

ostrichnomore_2

yes, usually, I add a bit of butter and milk but not loads, just enough to get it smoother. Plus salt and lots of pepper, maybe some chives or other herbs. sometimes put a sprinkling of grated cheese on top.

I've also done them with frozen mash as well a couple of times, seems to re-freeze ok. I just put the whole mash 'blobs' on before I cook and spread them out a bit (trying to cut down on the mash as on a diet), don't bother defrosting it first or smoothing out, and have mash 'islands' on top. Not as good as real but not bad.

I don't have a really thick layer of potato either way, it's about 2/3rds mince layer and 1/3 potato topping. or even less. Maybe that makes the difference. If it's half potato you might notice it's not as nice as freshly made.

cepheus

Oh and this site!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/395786

Mrs-hoppy_2

I too freeze mine in oven proof containers.

Just make up and top with mash as normal then freeze as is. I defrost in the microwave til its warm then add some grated cheese and warm it through in the oven til it goes nice and crispy on top.

I have never had a problem with the mash and find this is one thing that tastes as good when its frozen and reheated as it does when its just made.

cepheus

Reheated a few spoonfuls from the fridge today, seems to be OK. I think the problem before was that I didn't add milk & butter to the potato.

lostinrates

cepheus wrote: »

Reheated a few spoonfuls from the fridge today, seems to be OK. I think the problem before was that I didn't add milk & butter to the potato.

Yep, sounds like it. Tbh, even fresh it's better with butter, or even a dash of cream left over from something else. Milk I only add if the potatoes are very dry when boiled or re reheating is always the plan.

I am glad it's worked for you now.:£