The Sam's Club Heat-And-Eat Side Dish A Customer Says Is 'Pure Gold'

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Microwave meals are a double-edged sword. On one hand, they save you a ton of time, but on the other hand, they're often a far cry from the meal we were actually craving. If you're brave enough to branch beyond the microwave ramen of your college days, every now and then, you'll come across a rare gem that tastes just like something made from scratch — for example, the Member's Mark Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes from Sam's Club.

"If you want mashed potatoes that taste like you know what you're doing in the kitchen, these are it. I will never mash another potato again," wrote one impressed customer in a review on Sam's Club website, concluding that "these things are pure gold." Seeing such big praise for a microwave meal is quite rare, and even more so when it comes from multiple people.

"Everyone thought these were from scratch. I just added a stick of butter, and wow, these were great!" added another customer. One shopper even confessed to serving this meal for Thanksgiving dinner, and with great results. Considering they're ready in less than 10 minutes and cost $8 for two 32-ounce packs (depending on the location), the microwave potatoes could alleviate holiday stress. It's worth adding them to the list of grocery products you should always buy at Sam's Club.

Let's take a look at how the Member's Mark brand may have cracked the code to the perfect convenience meal. First is the choice of the Yukon Gold potatoes, which are the absolute best type of potato for mashed potatoes. Then, you'll also find real milk, real butter, and sea salt among the list of ingredients — contributing to that delectably creamy consistency and simultaneously enriching the flavor. However, if you want them to be even more velvety, do as the customer reviews suggest and add some extra butter or cream.

According to one customer, Member's Mark mashed potatoes go splendidly as a side dish with Sam's Club rotisserie chicken. They also recommend getting "a bag of the wonderfully fresh salad available on the Sam's produce cooler, and you got yourself a faultless meal with virtually no work." The mashed potatoes are also said to fry up well in potato pancakes — meaning you don't just have a short-cut for your Thanksgiving and Christmas tables, but any Hanukkah celebrations too. That's not all they're good for, however. 

The reported homemade feel of this microwave meal may also allow you to cut corners on dishes that you'd otherwise make from scratch. For example, these mashed potatoes could be a great shortcut in Jaime Bachtell-Shelbert's simple shepherd's pie recipe, or they could simply be repurposed for gnocchi, croquettes, and other dishes that double as ways to use up leftover mashed potatoes.