The pros: While mashed potatoes are an easy dish to make, Trader Joe's Garlic and Butter Mashed Potatoes is a real time saver without sacrificing too much in terms of taste.
The cons: If you like lumpy mashed potatoes this won't be your thing. These are very smooth.
The verdict: For $1.99, this was a pretty good deal. One packet will serve 2 adults with no leftover so plan accordingly. There was a prominent garlic flavor that was quite pleasant. This is seasonal so if you enjoy it, stock up on it as it won't be on the shelves for very long.
The box:
The nutritional information (Who the hell eats this as packaged? Just wondering):
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
What comes out of the box (and yes, the directions are on the back of the bags too in case you throw out the box):
What else you'll need to make the dish (I used the stovetop recipe):
Boil water and the butter:
Add milk:
Add the packet:
About a minute later you'll have this, and yes, this can be made while a steak is resting as you see in the background:
I would absolutely buy Trader Joe's Garlic and Butter Mashed Potatoes again to keep on hand when I'm pressed for time. Coming from an Irish-American household, instant potatoes are blasphemy. So I was hesitant to even try these. I had eaten instant mashed potatoes in the past and they were horrifying. I had never tasting anything so bad in my life. That is not the case here. These taste like real potatoes just the texture is extremely smooth. More smooth than is possible with real mashed potatoes. There was a very pleasant garlic and butter taste. The parsley added a touch of coloring but not much in the way of flavor.
Want to see more items I've tried from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Ryan says
Would you ever consider using this in combination/supplement with "homemade" mashed potatoes? I was thinking about trying this for thanksgiving and adding a potato or two since it is just the wife and I.
bsickles says
I actually think that would work. Just be sure to taste as you go along to see if you like the garlic flavor. I haven't tried it that way but can't imagine it not working. Let me know how it turns out!
Ryan says
Will do.
Ryan says
Well...I put two medium sized potatoes with it and it turned out well. It ended up being really creamy with the right amount of lumps in it and the garlic seasoning was perfect. I seem to always over power my homemade garlic potato mash with garlic. This box made it perfect. If it only costs 2 bucks to have perfect mash potatoes...im down. Thanks for the tip!
bsickles says
Glad it worked out well!