I tried several of the suggestions made here and elsewhere I found online.
I mashed the potatoes with only a bit of salt and no liquid such as oil,
butter or cream. I dug out a cast iron skillet and gave it a good scrub and
seasoning, as it was a bit gamey from being is storage for awhile. I just
put them in the refrigerator to let them cool for a few hours before I
actually cook them. I also want to get a bit more practice at shaping the
potatoes before I put a meat or whatever filling in them, but they are not
amorphous lumps like the first time I tried.

Brian Christiansen