Nothing beats a good batch of mashed potatoes on a cold wintery night! We had meatloaf last night and we enjoyed some delicious mashed potatoes as the perfect accompaniment. This recipe comes from a good friend (Amy Steele) who gave me this recipe years ago to use for Thanksgiving. I always hated making mashed potatoes at the last minute and making a big mess just before sitting down to eat. Most mashed potato recipes would turn gluey or sticky if you tried to make them ahead – or reheat.

The key to this recipe is the cream cheese. It keeps the potatoes creamy and light so you can make them ahead – even freeze them and reheat to your hearts content for delicious mashed potatoes. It does help to whip them with a heavy duty mixer using the whisk attachment. Hand held mixers with two beaters will work just fine too. A stick or hand blender would not be powerful enough – or add enough air into the whipping process to make these as good.

The recipe uses 5 pounds of potatoes – but can easily be cut in half – and the quantities of the other ingredients are not critical – as long as you have plenty of cream cheese. Be sure to use cold water when adding the potatoes before boiling – otherwise the potatoes will turn red/brown – and add plenty of salt the water – the finished dish will be more balanced. I usually skip adding parmesan, onions and cheddar cheese – but it tastes good that way too.

Steele Clan Mashed Potatoes

Serves 12

prep time approximately 30 minutes

Ingredients

5 lb white potatoes, peeled, cut into uniform pieces
1/2 c butter or margarine
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese (optional)
1/2 c chopped green onions or 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
1/2 c parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

Place potatoes in large pot of cold water. Generously salt the water (about 3 TBS salt). Cover and boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain well and place in a large mixing bowl.

Add all other ingredients and blend well. Beaters or whisk attachments work best to work plenty of air into the mixture. Turn mixture into large oven proof baking dish that has been buttered or greased well.

Bake at 350′ for approximately 1 hour. Cover with foil to prevent top from browning too fast.

This can be made ahead and frozen (be sure to cover and seal well before freezing). It is best to defrost in the refrigerator overnight – or bake frozen, covered until heated through. If it is frozen solid, this can take up to 2 hours!

Notes

Thanks to Amy Steele for sharing this recipe with me years ago!