If I could chose only one side dish for Thanksgiving it would likely be mashed potatoes. I always pile a large amount on my plate. They are the best thing ever. Truly. Thanksgiving and Christmas are normally about the only time I make them so to me they are an extra special treat.
Which naturally means I want to make an extra special recipe for the holidays. When I was growing up, every holiday my grandma would make mashed potatoes. It was one of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever and was made with cream cheese. I’m always a bit partial to recipes that use cream cheese.
This year I chose a recipe that she sent to me. It was clipped from dash magazine circa Thanksgiving 2013 and was featured in a Pioneer Woman Thanksgiving spread. And it had cream cheese in the recipe. This recipe makes a ginormous amount of potatoes I will warn you. You either need a lot of people to serve or you need to love mashed potato leftovers to make this dish.
ingredients.
- 5 lb russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces, plus more for dish and topping
- 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
- ½ c. half-and-half
- ½ c. heavy cream
- ½ tsp. seasoned salt, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp. pepper, plus more to taste
directions.
- Put potatoes in a large pot. Cover with water and boil over high heat 20 to 25 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain, then put back in pot. Over low heat, mash potatoes 2 to 3 minutes, until mostly smooth, allowing steam and excess moisture to escape.
- Add butter, cream cheese, half-and-half, heavy cream, seasoned salt, salt, and pepper. Use masher to combine all ingredients until totally smooth. Spread potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, smoothing out surface. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Dot top of potatoes with more butter. Bake until piping hot and golden brown on top, 25 to 30 minutes.
Recipe rating:
Food Snob 