Meal Prep Potatoes by Par-Cooking Them in the Instant Pot

The prep

To prepare a week’s worth of potatoes for a week’s worth of enjoyment, grab a few pounds of your favorite spud (I like Yukons here), wash them, and cut them into 1 1/2-inch chunks (peeling is optional). Place them in your Instant Pot on top of a trivet or steamer basket, and pour a cup of water into the insert. Cook the potatoes for five minutes under high pressure, followed by an immediate manual release. The potatoes are now ready for roasting, frying, or mashing, and can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

For crispy potatoes

The quickest route to crispy potatoes is a shallow fry in some sort of delicious cooking fat. Heat a few tablespoons of your favorite frying oil in a large stainless steel skillet or cast iron pan until it’s shimmering. Beef tallow and duck fat are both superb, but vegetable oil works great too. Cook as many potatoes as you desire for a couple of minutes on each side, letting a crust form before flipping onto the next side. (If a crust is not fully formed, the potato will stick.) Once every side is a deep, golden brown, transfer to paper towels and season with salt.

For mashed potatoes

Heat a sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat for a few minutes, then add your required amount of potato chunks, about eight chunks per person. Mash ‘em around for a few minutes to drive off excess moisture. (If you have a potato ricer, you can rice the potatoes directly into your cooking vessel, and stir them around for about a minute.) Add a tablespoon of salted butter for every eight pieces of potato, and continue to mash until the butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat, and stir in one teaspoon of mayo per tablespoon of butter. Season with salt and pepper, add another pat of butter if desired, and enjoy.