Calling this a casserole is a bit of a stretch, but it is in a casserole dish...
This year I am really planning ahead and trying to make things in advance so that my Thanksgiving Day cooking doesn't leave me totally exhausted. Sometimes I'm so tired by the time we eat, I'm not even hungry. Not this year...
I've already done the menu planning, all the shopping, recipes are finalized, veggies are prepped and I'm starting to put together things that are either meant to be served cold or are intentionally made ahead to heat up again before dinner.
Besides making my life easier, they are also some of the best mashed potatoes I've ever had in my life, and I've had a lot!
I've seen lots of recipes for basic mashed potatoes, loaded mashed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, etc., but this one has the right balance of savoriness and tang without being too over the top. You can do a number of variations and I've included some at the bottom of this post. Potatoes are an easy thing to make your own, so just go with whatever you are craving, it will probably come out great. Well, unless you're craving caramel, then putting them in the potatoes wouldn't be a good idea. Let's limit that to savory stuff...
This is a great item for any potluck event, not just at the holidays, so be sure to pin this to your side dish board and let's get to cookin' some 'taters!
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| Sometimes I make so much of something that I have to divide and conquer to get it all cooked. I thought I was going to have to do that with these, but they all fit into the smaller pot on the left. |
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| Sometimes gauging how many potatoes you will need is tough. So, I do roughly 5 pounds or about this many potatoes. About as many as will fit on my cutting board at one time. These are peeled and rinsed and ready to go. |
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| Be sure when you are peeling that you are doing this on the side of your sink WITHOUT the garbage disposal. Too many times I've forgotten and down the disposal they go. The disposal doesn't really like potato peels. Just trust me on that one, I found out the hard way. And you really don't want to have to put your hand in the disposal to get out slimy potato peels. Just sayin'. |
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| I quartered the potatoes. They will cook more evenly if you leave them a little bigger. So either just half or quarter them. |
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| When the water comes to a full boil, put the potatoes in. Bring back to a boil, then reduce to medium and do an easy boil for about 20 minutes. Or until they are soft with the fork test. |
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| When they are done, drain them in your big old strainer. Be careful of the steam or you'll get a potato facial while you're at it. |
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| Put them back in the pot and back on the stove on low heat. I need used to do this step, but now that I know that it really does get out all the remaining water, I do it every time. Dry out the potatoes to leave more room for the yummy stuff. Then they won't be too wet when you heat them back up. |
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| Mash them all up until they are pretty smooth. I leave a few lumps here and there. I just call it "rustic". |
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| Add all the remaining ingredients. I stir them up again using the potato masher. It really gets everything mixed well. |
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| One last stir and into a casserole dish. |
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| I think if I had had 1 more potato, this would be overflowing. I'm a little worried about the butter rolling off the top when I reheat it, but nobody will complain that I didn't make enough potatoes... Also, be sure to double check your recipe BEFORE you put the potatoes in the casserole dish. You may have forgotten the cream cheese and have to put them back in the pan, stir them up and put them back in the casserole dish like nothing ever happened. Just sayin' - double checking is always a good thing... |
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| If you are truly making these ahead, as I am, go ahead and cover them with saran wrap and put them in the fridge. You can leave them there for 3-4 days. |
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| When you are ready to reheat, remove saran wrap and add pancetta and a few pats of butter. |
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| Place in a 350 degree oven, uncovered for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. |
Created 11/26/13
Ingredients
10 medium russet potatoes (5 lbs)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 8 oz package cream cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 oz pancetta
2-4 oz crumbled blue cheese
extra butter for top of potatoes when reheating
Directions
Peel potatoes and cut into large cubes. Fill a large stock
pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Salt the water and bring to a
boil. Boil the potatoes uncovered until
tender (about 20-25 minutes).
Chop pancetta and sauté until browned. (If you are making
these more than a day ahead, save this step until you are ready to heat them
again).
When potatoes are tender, drain them and place back into the
pot and turn on low heat. This removes any remaining moisture from the potatoes
so they aren’t too wet.
Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Add all other ingredients to potatoes, except
the pancetta, mix well. If making ahead, place in baking dish and cover with
saran wrap and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, remove saran wrap, place 5-6 pats of
butter on top and sprinkle pancetta on top. Place in 350 degree oven for 30
minutes.
Variations:
Sour cream instead of cream cheese
Milk instead of buttermilk
Bacon instead of pancetta
Parmesan instead of blue cheese
Onion powder instead of garlic powder
Fresh garlic instead of garlic powder
Add a little horseradish
Add green onions or scallions
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