Potatoes – The Pajama Chef

Mashed Potato Casserole

November 20, 2015December 14, 2015 Sarah

A cheesy, creamy, baked mashed potato casserole that’s perfect for ANY holiday or just a special meal with family and friends. 🙂

A cheesy, creamy baked mashed potato casserole... perfect for every special meal!

Sometimes it’s the simplest recipes that are the best, aren’t they? My family has long tried to find the best cheesy potato recipe because everyone loves them. My sister is pretty much the biggest cheesy potato fan I know, and my husband is pretty much the biggest mashed potato fan I know, so this is a dish to please them both!

A cheesy, creamy baked mashed potato casserole... perfect for every special meal!

Regular ‘ole mashed potatoes aren’t my favorite Thanksgiving side dish of all time, but add in a bunch of cheddar and parmesan, and you make this girl veryyy happy! All that cheese + some sour cream or greek yogurt jazz up plain mashed potatoes, but it’s the baking of them that take this dish over the edge! I don’t know what it is about baking dishes but that just adds an extra layer of deliciousness to the final product… especially when there’s cheese involved. Think about stovetop mac & cheese vs. baked mac & cheese. I’m right, aren’t I? There’s just no competition! Baked wins every single day. 🙂

A cheesy, creamy baked mashed potato casserole... perfect for every special meal!

I’ll admit that some may take issues with this dish because it’s not traditional enough… and there isn’t even any butter in it [gasp!]. But all the cheese and sour cream sure makes up for it. One of the best parts about this creamy ‘n cheesy side dish is that you can make it ahead AND it reheats beautifully in the microwave. Regular mashed potatoes can get kinda weird after the microwave but these absolutely do not! Have I convinced you to make them yet?!? I sure hope so, because they’re pretty much the tastiest version of mashed potatoes I’ve ever enjoyed and I bet you will too!

one year ago: Pumpkin Pie Peanut Butter Cups
two years ago: Chipotle-Cilantro Mashed Potatoes
three years ago: Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese
four years ago: Crockpot Saucy Italian Chicken
five years ago: Layered Taco Dip

Mashed Potato Casserole

Servings: 8
Time: 60 minutes
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from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
8 ounces sour cream or plain yogurt [regular or greek]
1/2 cup half and half or milk
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 large shallots, minced – about 1/2 cup
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place potatoes in a large stock pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender, when a fork easily pierces through. Drain and return potatoes to pot.

Off heat, add sour cream and half and half to potatoes, then stir to combine. Use a potato masher to smash until desired texture is achieved. Stir in cheddar, shallots, and pepper. [If desired, shallots could be sauteed in butter or olive oil for a few minutes to soften.]

Transfer potatoes to a medium baking dish – a 10 inch round, 8×8 square, or the like, at least 2.5 quarts. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with Parmesan and extra freshly ground black pepper, and broil for about 2 minutes until golden brown.

Notes:

Dish can be prepared up until the baking step up to 24 hours in advance. Let dish come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking.

If desired, shallots could be sauteed in butter or olive oil for a few minutes to soften before adding to the potatoes. The flavor was fine when raw, but even though they were minced small, we found them a little crunchy, especially the ones that were left on the top of the dish.

Potatoes, Recipes, Sides

Chipotle-Cilantro Mashed Potatoes

November 20, 2013November 22, 2013 Sarah

Thanks for coming back for another edition of Thanksgiving week! On Monday I shared my recipe for Pumpkin Cloverleaf Rolls. On Tuesday, it was Mixed Vegetables Mornay [my fave side ever!!]. And today, it’s mashed potatoes.

I know, I know. Mashed potatoes are super classic… and you probably don’t even need a recipe to make them. BUT hear me out! These mashed potatoes are something extra special, because they’ve got a Southwestern flair to them! Chipotle peppers and cilantro are an awesome flavor combo, so why not add ’em to mashed potatoes??!

I seriously couldn’t get enough of these potatoes. And I’m not a mashed potatoes girl. I prefer baked potatoes or fries, anything really besides mashed potatoes. These potatoes are different though. They’re interesting and spicy, but not hot or anything out of control. I thought about adding some cheddar cheese–and I’m sure that would be awesome, but before you add a bunch of cheese… just try ’em! The cilantro adds SO much flavor. I know these mashed potatoes are far from traditional but you should definitely give them a try! Feel free to add more butter or use cream instead of milk if you like, but since I was making these for two, I decided to be a little less liberal with the indulgent stuff. And truthfully, I think these potatoes were creamy and flavorful enough without tons of cream and butter. They’re amazing, and I think I’ll go have a bowl now! Be sure to come back tomorrow for some turkey, and Friday for pear crisp! Yum yum and YUM!

two years ago: KC’s Dilled Carrots
three years ago: Layered Taco Dip

Chipotle-Cilantro Mashed Potatoes [flavor combo idea adapted from Food Network Magazine, November 2011]
click to print

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes [Yukon Gold or Russet]
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/4-1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1-2 tablespoons chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced [loosely packed]
Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Wash and dry potatoes, then cut into quarters and place in a pan. Cover with cold water by an inch or two, then add 1 tablespoon Kosher salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook, uncovered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel potatoes and transfer to a bowl.

Add butter and milk, then mash with a fork or potato masher. Stir in chipotle pepper and cilantro, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Time: 60 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings.

Potatoes, Recipes, Sides

Mom’s Potato Salad

July 13, 2013July 12, 2013 Sarah

Everybody has their own favorite potato salad recipe. You know, the only one you’ll make. Well, this is mine. Actually my Mom’s, or more likely her Mom’s. Or something like that. Anyways. This potato salad is absolutely perfect. Creamy, crunchy, classic–with just the right ratio of potatoes to eggs to celery to onion, with a super simple mayo-mustard dressing. The only catch? You must make it in this very yellow bowl for its perfection to truly shine through.

Yes, that faded Pyrex yellow bowl is the potato salad bowl. A piece of family history, if you will. If you don’t have one, don’t despair. Just be sure to serve it up with tons of paprika and it’ll even out. 🙂 Lots of paprika on potato salad is key, imo. Do you agree?

Maybe it’s easier for me to make it in this bowl because it’s one of those recipes where you just eyeball everything without measuring [though I did provide rough measurements in the recipe below, recorded from when I recently made this].

Regardless of the bowl, this is seriously the best potato salad I’ve ever had, and I hope you’ll give it a try too! But even though I think this is the best, I’m curious to know… what’s in your potato salad? Links welcome! I’m super curious. 🙂

P.S. I know I don’t usually post on Saturdays but I just joined The Salad Bar, which is a new monthly blogging group challenge. Wendy of The Weekend Gourmet started this group last month and I am so happy to be part of it. You can request to join by clicking on the above image [linking to our Facebook page]. The theme this month is potluck salads, so please check out the other awesome recipes below. I know I cannot wait to do just that later today!! 🙂 Have a great weekend!

Mom’s Potato Salad
click to print

Ingredients:

6-8 white potatoes [about 2 lbs]
3-4 hardboiled eggs, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
about 1/2 to 1 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise
about 2 to 4 tablespoons yellow mustard
freshly cracked black pepper
paprika

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add potatoes, and cook until soft. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into chunks and place in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, celery, and onion, then enough mayonnaise to coat. Add mustard to taste, then season with a little pepper and a lot of paprika.

Serve warm or chilled.

Time: 60 minutes.

Yield: 10-12 servings.