A method for making a dehydrated mashed potato product by cooking fresh
potatoes including defects, ricing the cooked potatoes by urging the same
through multiple openings in a ricing barrier to form riced moist potato
pieces exiting the ricing barrier separated from potato defects which do
not pass through the ricing barrier, reforming (e.g., by extrusion) the
riced moist potato pieces by applying pressure to form riced, reformed
moist potato pieces, and drying the riced, reformed potato pieces to a
moisture content of about 5 10%. A dried mashed potato product comprising
dried potato pieces which reconstitute in water at 180.degree. F. under
light stirring conditions to a mashed potato product having soft lumps
characteristic of fresh mashed potatoes at a concentration of about 10 g
to 80 g of soft lumps per 400 g of rehydrated product.