A side dish that I haven’t made in a long time, mashed potatoes and squash is a good partner for grilled, roasted and fried meat or fish. With Christmas coming and most people are already planning their Christmas dinner menus, I thought I’d update this August 22, 2006 entry with a few tips on a making a creamy mashed potatoes and squash dish.
(That’s adobo, corned beef style on the plate with the mashed potatoes and squash.)
First of all, from experience, it appears that not all squash are created equal. Of course, there are different varieties of squash but, in the Philippines, there are only the squat round ones. Other varieties are rare (although they do make a pronounced appearance around Thanksgiving which Filipinos don’t traditionally celebrate) and very pricey. In appearance, our native squash resembles the North American acorn squash, a winter squash, the most.
So, I’m talking here of the squat round squash that are available all year ’round in the markets. If you notice, some of them are paler than others. But it seems that the color tells something about the texture of the squash. The deeper and more orange-y the color, the creamier the squash. I’m If you’re planning to make this mashed potatoes and squash dish, I suggest you get the squash with the deepest yellow-orange color and combine them with starchy (as against waxy) potatoes.
First, if you use more squash than potatoes (as I usually do), you’ll have to use very little milk or cream. Squash is very watery and turns more mushy than potatoes after cooking. So, if you want your mashed potatoes and squash to hold their shape rather than tumble into a flat mush, add milk little by little and use much less than you would if you were making mashed potatoes.
Second, if you’re boiling the potatoes and squash in one pan, allow the potatoes to cook in the boiling water for about 10 minutes before adding the squash as they require a shorter cooking time than potatoes. That way, they will cook at the same time.
Third, the addition of herbs and spices (like garlic, onion and parsley) is entirely optional. Even without them, the mashed potatoes and squash will still taste delicious. Just don’t scrimp on the butter, salt and pepper. The recipe on page two includes the onion and garlic. If you don’t want to use them, there is no need to melt the butter in a pan. Just add to the bowl with the drained potatoes and squash and let the butter melt while you mash the vegetables.
The August 22, 2006 post is below.
Almost two years ago, my then 12-year-old daughter thought that what we could do with potatoes, we could do with kalabasa (squash). And our side dish of mashed kalabasa was born. Wonderful as it tasted, it was much mushier than mashed potatoes. In fact, it was kind of watery. Then someone, I forget who, suggested combining kalabasa with potatoes. Well, after almost two years, I finally took up the suggestion. I even went a step farther–I added chopped onion and garlic sauteed in butter.
There you see it in the photo–the mashed potatoes and kalabasa that accompanied tonight’s dinner of lechon sa hurno.
And because I happened to have a couple of Chinese ham bones, I simmered the kalabasa and potatoes in water together with the bones. I’ll let your imagination do its thing. 
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a whole kalabasa (squash)
3/4 k. of potatoes
1 tbsp. of finely chopped garlic
4 tbsps. of finely chopped onion
1/3 c. of butter
pepper
salt
milk
chopped parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cut off the skin of the squash and scoop out the seeds. Cut into wedges.
Peel the potatoes (or not) and cut into wedges.
Place the vegetables in a large cooking pan and add about 2 cups of water. Simmer, preferably with ham or meat bones, for 20 to 30 minutes or until very tender. There should be very little liquid by the time the vegetables are done.
While the vegetables simmer, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion and cook gently until soft. Keep warm.
Drain the squash and potatoes, place in a large bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher. Add the garlic and onion, with the butter, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until blended. Pour in the milk, little by little, stirring to combine. Stop adding milk once you have reached the desired consistency which, ideally, means soft but still able to hold shape.
Sprinkle with some chopped parsley before serving, if you like.
It was really great with the lechon but I bet it will be just as good with grilled fish or fried chicken.
Cooking time (duration): 1 hour
Number of servings (yield): 4 to 6
Meal type: supper
That’s an interesting take on the traditional mashed potatoes! The best mashed potatoes I’ve had, and have successfully duplicated, actually had roast garlic and whole grain mustard added to it. I had that dish when I went to Ireland and was served gloriously tender lamb shanks on a bed of roasted garlic-mustard mashed potatoes.
By the way, I think Sam is a future star chef in the making.
A combination of potato + orange sweet potato/carrots work REALLY well too. I love orange sweet potatoes, but mashed by itself it’s a bit too watery and sweet.
Marie, roasted garlic sounds delicious. I should experiment some more.
Sam wants to become a pro chef. She should talke over this blog in a few years. 
Rose, isn’t sweet potato too fibrous for mashing?
Ms. Connie,
Sweet potatoes could be mashed or whipped just like ordinary potatoes. They may be mashed as chunky or whipped as creamy as you want with the aid of an electric mixer.
You may add any or a combnation of butter, sugar, salt, cream, sour cream, cinamon, brown sugar, nuts, chilies and even fruits like pears.
Depending on what you add, they can be served either as a side dish or as a dessert. I even remember a sheperds pie being topped with whipped sweet potatoes instead of the traditional mashed potatoes.
A favorite of mine even up to now is converting ordinary cubed sweet potatoes in syrup (minatamis) into a whipped dessert by mashing it with butter and sometimes adding cream or milk.
Yeah, which is why the potato is great for giving it more body. Sweet potato and potato mash is great with steak and gravy.
Just curious,
I’m on a special date…trying to get my abs back…love filipino food…but just so fatty. Any suggestions? Thanks
Hi! I am an OFW currently working in a food factory here in Dubai, UAE. I have been browsing your blogs for quite sometime already, and I keep on browsing them to maintain variety for my meal and baon as well. Thanks to you!
For mashed potato or mashed kalabasa, you can also try combination of margarine-sauteed celery and onion plus grated cheese!
Allan
Re #4. Ah, I’ll try that soon. Need good steak.
Re #5. SOME dishes are fatty. Veggies and fish dishes rarely are.
Re #6. Cheese! Oh, yes.
Hello,
This might be OT, but I saw your blog being feaured in ANC last night. I just can’t help but congratulate you, and the successes that you have experienced. I certainly learned a lot from the show, and you have inspired me to be a better blogger, thanks.
More power,
Chymera of Exploreilolio.com
Hi Chymera. A toast to better blogs.
Hi Connie,
my first time to write here and just recently found out this pinoycook site, i found ur recipes very interesting, really looks delicious especially the baked creamy chicken and potatoes, will surely try that this weekend, too bad im an office girl and can cook only on weekends for my family. I really love to cook but not adventurous to try new dishes but when i saw ur recipes it’s like i wanna go home and try to cook anything on my mind hehehhe….
By the way we went on fishing yesterday and we have a freshly catch big big tilapia and carpa “the fisherman said it’s carpa coz i dont know the name of the fish…anyway can u suggest some recipe for this? for the tilapia i plan to cook sweet and sour, for the carpa they say its best to cook it only steamed tiop w/ mayo…can u teach me or can u advice some twist on this recipe or can u suggest other recipe for this???
thanks for the help, looking forward for ur reply…thanks mwah!
weng, you can cook the carpa just like any other fish of the same size. i’m not particularly fond of cooking them because we used to have them for pets.
Hello Miss Connie,
“I’m you’re planning to make this mashed potatoes and squash dish”
maybe you want to correct this. no offense meant. thanks.
Thanks, should be “if”.
Thanks Ms. Connie! This is perfect for me, my ate is cooking the main dish for Thanksgiving and I needed to
do 2 sides. Any suggestions for the second? I think she is making steaks.
Try the chicken, potato and mushroom salad.