These are the best mashed potatoes! You can make them a day or two ahead saving you time! Great for Thanksgiving dinner.
I’ve talked about our monthly “birthday dinner” we have at my parents. Every month we gather for family dinner and end with presents and cake for the birthday kids (& adults). If there are no birthdays that month, we still get together as a family and have dinner. We usually all bring the same assignment but sometimes we change it up. My “usual” assignment is mashed potatoes. I adapted Pioneer woman’s recipe very slightly and I just love it because I can make them ahead and then warm them up before dinner. These would be perfect at Thanksgiving dinner or any dinner for that matter. We are huge potato fans around here, what about you?
- 5 pounds poatoes (russet or yukon gold are great)
- ½ cup of butter
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- ½ - 1 cup half & half or a combination of milk and cream*
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
- chives, fresh or dried (optional)
- Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are about the same size (but don't stress over it!).
- Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and then add your potatoes. Bring it to a boil and cook the potatoes for about 30 minutes. When they are cooked through a fork should be able to easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance but you don't want the potato to fall apart.
- Drain the potatoes in a large colander then place them back into the dry pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat. I use a hand mixer but a potato masher works great here. Allow the steam to escape before adding all the ingredients.
- Turn off the heat and add the stick of butter, cream cheese & about ½ a cup milk or half and half or cream. You really can use any combo you want. I've made this with ½ cup milk and ½ cup cream and it worked great. Add the milk until you get the consistency you prefer.
- Add the garlic salt, seasoned salt & pepper.
- Whip or mash until they are nice and creamy.
- Place in a medium sized baking dish (I use a 2/12 quart dish or 9x13" casserole dish) You can add some butter pieces on top if you would like.
- Bake at 350 degrees until warmed through.
- When you are making this dish in advanced, take it out of the fridge 2 to 3 hours before serving. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until warmed through.
Recipe Source: slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman via her 1st cookbook (affiliate link)
I made these for my first Thanksgiving dinner that I hosted (16 people!). I wanted a recipe that I could make the day before, and reheat. I made 2 batches, with 5 pounds of potatoes in each batch! I heated them up on Thanksgiving day in the crock pot, since the oven was full. I was nervous since it was my Thanksgiving, but these potatoes got RAVE REVIEWS!!! They were the talk of the whole dinner!. Thanks!!!
That is awesome! Hosting Thanksgiving for 16, I’m impressed! Being a host can be so nerve racking. I am so glad they were the talk of dinner and good to know that they reheated great in the crock pot. Thanks for the feedback! Happy Holidays 🙂
so, if you are making them ahead, do you bake them, then refrigerate, or just bake them once the day you are serving? Thanks!
You just bake the day you are serving. Once you have them all mind and in the dish, cover and out in the fridge. Bake right before you are going to serve it. 🙂
Made these last Easter and they were a huge hit! They’re now a staple for large family gatherings!
awesome! I am so glad! 🙂
So if I am making this ahead of time, then I must store them in the refrigerator right after I have mashed them -right?
yes, store in the fridge after you mash them and add the ingredients. Then heat them in the oven when you are ready!
Could you put these in a crock pot to reward them Thankshiving day? Our family seems to eat in shifts.
yes, I think that would work great.