20 pounds of Potatoes

We had Thanksgiving dinner at my in-law's this year. 6 siblings, 6 spouses, 2 grandparents, and 13 grandkids. That is 27 total people, in case you didn't want to do the math. I was in charge of the mashed potatoes. Easy right? I went by to pick up the bag from my sister in law... it was 20 lbs! I've never seen so many potatoes in my life. I come from a very small family so I have no idea how to feed 27 people... maybe we'll eat all 20 lbs!

1. Wash and peel
2. shake out left hand every 10 minutes as it begins to cramp
3. make sure to throw out 5+ pounds of peels in the trash can - my mom taught me that they will ruin your disposal
4. gather peeled and washed potatoes in large pots as you go
5. clean out sink and transfer potatoes back for cutting

6. cut, cut, cut...
7. find as many large pots as you can, and boil potatoes

8. get the essential ingredients for good mashed potatoes: MILK, BUTTER, and SALT

9. add ingredients to strained potatoes
10. mash, mash, mash, TASTE, mash, mash, TASTE, mash, mash....
11. find hungry toddler for a taste test.... are they good Owen? YES MOMMY!

12. find large glass dishes for storage


13. store in refrigerator for reheating later in the day

14. call someone and tell them that you just made 20 lbs. of potatoes for your family dinner... then call another person. In my case, my mom and sister. The story was too good to only tell once.

15. clean up, clean up, everybody clean up!

I started at 7 am and finished at 9:40am - then took 20 minutes to clean the kitchen. All in all, it took 3 hours. And that was just potatoes... I can't wait to see how much other yummy food there is! Did I mention I LOVE to eat? It is no surprise that I also LOVE Thanksgiving....mmmmmmm.

P.S. we only ate the big round bowl - the two casserole dishes were left over, so I took one home and other people split the rest.