mash-tini's for 300.

Just in case you need to throw a big party sometime soon, I thought I would share details and a shopping list from our Mashed Potato Bar we served at Mallory's graduation party. I would say that the party was a HUGE hit. Adjust the amounts for the size of your "Mash-tini" party. (Another guest named them "spud-tini's".)

TIPS: I rented 100 "margarita" shaped glasses because the "martini" glasses at our rental place were too small to hold the toppings without spillage. We washed glasses at the neighbor's kitchen sink to keep a steady flow of clean glasses. The trickiest part was boiling and mashing 100 pounds of potatoes the day of the party, but we got it done. We kept the mashed potatoes warm in four large electric roasters. (25# of potatoes fit in each roaster.) I would recommend Yukon Gold potatoes, and it is my one regret that I did not. To save $ I bought the store brand russets and when we were forced to peel and remove spots on the 100#, I would have handed over any "savings" in a heartbeat. Yukons are a softer potato with thin skins that do not have to be peeled. What a time-saver on a project like this! Toppings can be anything you want and whatever is in season. If it was late summer I would have included chopped tomatoes and peppers from the garden. We just filled up the serving containers as they emptied. The amounts listed below were pretty spot on, except that we ran out of bacon - but that was OK since it was the most expensive topping and 8 pounds was enough. I think it is a must-do to put an olive in each glass for the "real Martini" touch - along with the carrot and celery stick "straws". We did have non-stemmed plastic cups available for young children to manage. Our decorating theme was Black & White, Candles & Crystal.

SHOPPING LIST:

100 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 gallon Half & Half

5 lbs. butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

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TOPPINGS:

7 lbs. sour cream

1 quart Hidden Valley (made from scratch - 2 packs)

1 1/2 lbs. red beans (cooked until tender with onion for about 2 hours)

10 lbs. ground beef, fried (with 6 packs taco seasoning)

8 lbs. cheddar cheese, grated

8 lbs. bacon, fried & crumbled

4 lbs. frozen corn, cooked

4 bunches cilantro, chopped

4 cups green onions, chopped

1 large jar jalapenos

2 cups chives, chopped

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GARNISH:

300 green olives

300 carrot sticks

300 celery sticks

I had to laugh because when I was telling my Dallas daughter how successful our party was, and how clever everyone thought the menu was - she reminded me that she had her first "mash-tini" at a Dallas wedding when she was in middle school which was over 15 years ago! I am glad it was still fresh and innovative in our little corner of the world. Whether you are serving 25 or 250, give it a try and put your own spin on it. Love, Mother Rabbit