Instant Pot mashed potatoes & slow-cooker stuffing

I love that many of you come back here at Thanksgiving time, year after year, to look up fave Thanksgiving recipes, to schedule out your prep with my Thanksgiving planning guide, to see how much salt to rub into the bird, and when (today for me – I’m late!). I do the same myself.

It’s kind of funny, isn’t it, how we’re old friends here, from the long-lost glory days of food blogs. Way back in the day when scrolling through low-res food porn from people’s actual homes was our online excitement. So quaint and wholesome.

Back in 2012, I wrote in my Thanksgiving meal planning post,

“Thanksgiving, with its focus on gratitude and a generous meal with loved ones, is easily my favorite holiday of the year. In contrast with the frenzied, materialistic rush that Christmas has become, Thanksgiving is a day to slow down and be grateful for all that we have (at least until Black Friday sales start at midnight).”

Hilarious. Now Black Friday sales start the minute Halloween ends. My kids scroll through 20 TikTok videos in the time it would have taken to read a blog post in the old days. Sometimes I’m not sure if we’re swimming in abundance or being blasted with a firehose.

In complex times, I’m increasingly focused on simplicity. I try to be smarter about where I put my effort for Thanksgiving so that I can be a more relaxed, engaged participant, not harried family caterer. I’m more aware of the preciousness of these gatherings. The older generation is getting more frail. The younger generation now drops in from college for a too-brief holiday visit. A meal with everyone together is a rare event to celebrate and cherish. I remind myself to slow down.

These days, my streamlined Thanksgiving employs the slow cooker for stuffing and the Instant Pot for autopilot mashed potatoes. Stashing the stuffing in the Crock Pot frees up valuable oven space, and I’m able to make the dish and cross it off my prep list much earlier in the day. Mashed potatoes are still one of the last dishes to be completed, but I can cut the potatoes, cover them with water, and set the pressure cooker aside until I hit the start button hours later for hands-free cooking. I pour out the water and then do a quick hand mash in the Instant Pot bowl with butter, hot milk, salt and pepper. Usually I’ll just leave the two dishes in their appliances for serving, which helps keep them warm.

I admit I still have a high bar for real food, and I resist trading convenience for health. But I’m trying to give myself more breathing room. For years my whole family would head out Thanksgiving morning without me to play flag football with several families, good friends and their kids. I always stayed home to cook. But the last couple years I’ve done my morning prep, including the Instant Pot and the slow cooker, and left home to socialize and watch the fun from the Turkey Bowl sidelines.

We’re particularly excited for this year’s game, which will be a reunion of core players on the Turkey Bowl roster who all went to college this fall. I will be there. I know I can’t slow time, but I’m trying to stretch the experience of my life by giving more attention to the present.

I still like the idea of cooking potatoes in their skins, but I decided on Thanksgiving I can’t deal with the last-minute peeling before mashing. So I’m back to peeling before cooking.

The pressure cooker technically doesn’t need a ton of water, but I fill just to the top of the potatoes.

Then I set them to the side until close to the end, when the turkey’s out and I’m going to make gravy and carve the bird.

In the meantime, dried bread cubes get tossed with celery and onions cooked with butter and herbs.

Bread stuffing for a crowd was one of my early recipes in 2010. I still make it this way.

Three pounds of bread conveniently fits well in the large Crock Pot I inherited from my mom.

Then stuffing’s off my mind until it’s ready to eat.

The main risk is burning the bottom of the stuffing. I set my alarm earlier now to make sure I check it. You can also stir the stuffing once during the day for more even cooking, but I like the browned outside of letting it cook undisturbed.

This is my actual Thanksgiving spread, with small appliances and a mess of dishes from me, my mom and my brothers. It’s not ready for TikTok, that’s for sure. But for us it’s bliss.

Sending love to you all this holiday season. I am appreciating all that is good and nourishing this Thanksgiving, including each one of you, and your presence here with me. Happy turkey day to all!

Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Cooking mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot turns this classic comfort food into a hands-free enterprise that can cook reliably and independently while you do other work. A Thanksgiving timesaver. 

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and halved/quartered (large potatoes like Russet/Idaho probably need to be quartered, but halving is fine for smaller potatoes like Yukon Gold)
• Water to cover
• 1 teaspoon salt for cooking, plus 1 teaspoon for mashing
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 3/4 to 1 1/2 cup milk, heated (less milk makes a denser mash; I like more milk for a lighter texture – also the mash will stiffen as it sits, so I advise adding a bit more milk than you think you need)
• Sour cream or greek yogurt, optional (adds a nice subtle tang)
• Garlic powder to taste, optional

Preparation

1. Add potatoes to Instant Pot and just enough water to cover. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water. If making ahead, you can just let the potatoes sit until you are ready to cook.
2. Cover the instant pot securely and make sure the pressure vent is closed. Cook the potatoes on high for 8-10 minutes (8 should be fine but 10 will give you extra cover if your potato chunks are large). When finished, manually release the pressure valve (you can put a kitchen towel over the vent to contain the steam) or let it release gradually if you aren’t in a hurry.
3. Drain the water from the potatoes and add the potatoes back to the pot.
4. Add butter, salt and pepper and mash the potatoes with a hand masher, potato ricer or fork until the butter is melted. Add warm milk in batches (you don’t want cold milk cooling your mashed potatoes), continuing to mash, until the potatoes are the consistency you like. Taste and add salt/pepper as needed.
5. Cover loosely with lid to keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish with a pat of butter and/or chopped chives/parsley if desired.

Notes

• Yukon Gold potatoes are thin-skinned enough that you can get away without peeling if you don’t mind a little more texture in your mash.
• If you don’t have milk, you can also save a cup of the cooking water (after the potatoes are cooked) to use instead.
• Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 pound of potatoes per person.
• For 6-8 people: 3 lbs potatoes, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk.
• For 10-15 people: 5 lbs of potatoes; 6 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 to 2 cups milk.

Here’s the link to a printable version.