I know, I know – who needs a recipe for mashed potato? But here’s the thing; you won’t have a potato masher. There may not be a potato masher within 100 miles. But you want mashed potato, right? Chips can be got from any tourist restaurant, but mash…mash is rare.
And yet it’s easy. Just microwave whole potatoes in a covered bowl until soft. No need to peel (you probably won’t have a peeler anyway!). Allow to cool enough so that you can take off the skin with your fingers. Cut the spuds into chunks if they’re very large and put them in a saucepan. Add a little salt, milk and softened butter, and ask your husband to beat hell out of them with a wooden spoon until they are as smooth as you can be bothered to get them. For extra fanciness add chopped spring onions and call it champ.
You can reheat it in the microwave so if you need the saucepan for something else, just do the mash first.