Costco's Loaded Mashed Potatoes Are Not Playing Around
If you want to cut down on dinner prep time, Costco has you covered with its new, loaded mashed potatoes. Footage of the premade potato dish was posted to Instagram by Costco Hot Finds. Each package contains six servings of potatoes, pre-portioned out. The potatoes have been spotted in the deli section of Costco stores, priced around $3.50 per pound — making each package around $13.
The dish is made from around 3 ½ pounds of mashed Yukon gold potatoes, which are then topped off with pats of Costco's Kirkland Signature-branded butter. Bacon bits, shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and sour cream finish off each mound of the potatoes. The package provides instructions for heating the potatoes: Bake the tray in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 to 50 minutes.
In previous years, Costco has sold packages of mashed potatoes ahead of Thanksgiving for around $2 per pound, though the containers were not pre-portioned and didn't contain all the toppings of the loaded potato option.
Costco shoppers were divided on the side dish
Plenty of Instagram users were excited about the food option. Some who had already tried the potatoes commented on the Costco Hot Finds Instagram post to praise their flavor. The original poster called the dish "phenomenal" and said the mashed potatoes could be enjoyed as a full meal rather than a side. Others commented that they hoped to find them in their local Costco stores soon. One person even said they disliked potatoes in general but were tempted to try this side dish.
Others weren't so thrilled with the idea of the food, however. Several commenters on Costco Buys Instagram criticized the price point, saying, "They are alright. Save the $14 and make your own." Others said they would have preferred the toppings for the potatoes to be offered in smaller side containers so diners could pick and choose what they wanted to put on each serving or omit the bacon for a vegetarian-friendly option.
Still, if you're looking to cut down on prep time in the kitchen, buying some pre-made mashed potatoes could help make dinnertime quick and easy.