Spinach Bacon Two Cheese Mashed Potatoes:

In a quart freezer bag put:

3/4 cup instant mashed potatoes
2 Tbsp dry milk
1 Tbsp shelf stable bacon or bacon bits
1 Tbsp shelf stable Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp spinach flakes
1/4 tsp dried garlic flakes
black pepper to taste

Also take:
1 ounce cheddar cheese

Add 1 1/4 cups boiling water, stirring well. Dice up the cheddar cheese and stir in. Put in a cozy for 5 minutes. Stir again.

Serves 1-2 depending on appetite and what meal it is for. The recipe makes a huge dinner's worth, but would work for 2 at lunch or as a side dish.

Notes: The spinach flakes rehydrate almost instantly and are very good tasting. I got mine from Harmony House Foods.

For carrying cheddar cheese, check out the cheddar sticks that are sold next to the string cheese at your grocery store. Each one is individually packaged and has a shelf life of a couple days when backpacking (it will get soft and oily, but it is edible.)

Sarah - Mashed potatoes are my favorite trail dish. I often mix them with bacon (usually flavored TVP actually) and dried parmesan cheese. I like your suggestions in terms of additions as well. Another I would suggest to the really lazy amongst us is powdered gravy mix. It's really bad for you but high in calories and only requires the addition of water.

Sam, I have been doing recipes lately with the Simply Organic gravy mixes. The stuff is lower in sodium (reasonable actually!) and no MSG as well. Methinks next weeks Tuesday Taters will feature it!

Because I have the Harmony House sampler of 16 veggies, I had everything to give this a try just now. And of course, it's very good. Thank you, Sarah! I think of mashed potatoes as comfort food. There are other veggies in the sampler box to consider for future variations - green beans, corn, mixed peppers. But not the mushrooms. I just can't quite get a fungus near my mouth, let alone down the hatch. I know, I know - I eat other things that are probably worse. There's no accounting for taste....

Simply Organic gravy mixes