PW's Mashed Potatoes

A few years ago I was given a recipe for 'make ahead mashed potatoes' from my friend Heather. That was probably 8 years ago and I still use this recipe for every holiday meal I make... Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving, Easter. . . they really are 'to die for', loaded with butter ,cream and cream cheese. When Melanie picked PW's Creamy Mashed Potatoes for this weeks recipe I was all for making them (because I just LOVE mash) but I really didn't think they'd be anywhere near as wonderful as the 'make ahead' ones I do. Imagine my surprise when I checked her cook book, read the ingredients and realized that it was the exact same recipe I use!!!

The only difference being that my recipe calls for 1 tsp of onion powder (PW uses none) and she uses 1/2 stick of butter more than me.

Here's what you need (this is taken from my recipe, not PW's cookbook) :

5 lbs. potatoes
1 8oz package(block) cream cheese
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup butter(1 stick)
1 tsp onion power
1 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp regular salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Cook and mash potatoes with all of the above ingredients. Place in a greased 3 quart dish and sprinkle with paprika (if desired). Bake uncovered 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until starting to brown. These yummy potatoes are a family favorite at my house. This dish is a lifesaver around the holidays because it can be made ahead of time and then just brought to temperature and popped in the oven the next day.

I start mashing my potatoes by hand after they're cooked and drained. . .

then I add in the butter (cut up in to smaller pieces) the cream cheese and the 1 cup of half and half. . . .

along with the seasonings too - I mash them a little more by hand.

then I get out my electric mixer (PW doesn't say to use this but it makes the potatoes the creamiest I've ever had!)

then I spread the potatoes in my glass 13x9 dish. Sprinkle a little paprika on the top, and at this point I usually cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge.

The next day I take the potatoes out of the fridge, bring them to room temperature and bake them (I usually do this uncovered but PW tells you to cover the dish) at 350 for about 30 minutes. I forgot to take a picture of this when it came out of the oven, but it looks pretty much the same as when it went in, just a little browner!

Verdict: Well, it goes without saying that I already LOVED this recipe. They are the best creamy mashed potatoes I've ever had. So yes, they are definitely a keeper and yes of course I will be making them again :-) Another slight difference between the recipes is that PW only uses 1/2 tsp of the seasoned salt and I use 1 tsp. I think it's all a matter of seasoning to your own taste. Try them and adjust the seasoning accordingly the next time you make them.... because trust me - there WILL be a next time!