Like kryptonite to Superman, potatoes render me utterly powerless. Just the sight of a bowl of mashed potatoes can bring me to my knees. Potatoes weaken my will to eat healthy. I believe I inherited this weakness from my mother, who would make a potato side dish at every meal. She was a great cook, however “healthy” was not the first thing she thought of when planning a meal for my family. I think the idea of leaving the skin on them makes them just a “smidge” healthier (or at least I can justify that in my mind). My mom made the best mashed potatoes ever; she whipped them smooth and smothered them in butter. However, I wanted to experiment to make them even better. I have tried many different techniques over the years, and I believe I finally arrived at the most amazing mashed potato recipe anywhere.
The beauty of this recipe is that you absolutely have to make extras so that you have enough to eat the next day. The cream cheese is the key ingredient to make them taste just as good as the day you made them. Simply pop the leftovers in the microwave and they return to the smooth creamy state as the day you made them.
Now keep in mind “amazing” doesn’t have to mean complicated or difficult to make. In fact, this is the most simple recipe I have. It just takes good ingredients ( in the right proportion ) and a passion to eat. This recipe is a standard side dish for some of my favorite entrees such as Lemon chicken (we will have that posted in the near future:) ), which is one of my kids’ favorite dishes. They also go great with stuffed peppers, topping the mashed with the tomato sauce from the peppers….whew is that tasty!
Believe me when I say you have to try these to honestly believe how amazing they taste !!!!
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes ( redskin work just as well )
- 1 stick butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ C milk
- Cut potatoes and place in stock pot (can leave skin on or peel depending on your personal preference) and cover with cold water making sure you have about 3 inches water over top of potatoes.
- Boil until potato slides off fork when inserted.
- Drain and transfer to mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, mix potatoes till roughly mixed.
- Add ½ stick butter and cream cheese and continue mixing.
- Add milk a ¼ cup at a time while continuing to mix until potatoes reach the desired consistency.
- Slice remaining butter in ¼ inch "pats" and place on top of potatoes.
- Top with salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy!!!
Cathy says
April 22, 2014 at 7:29 pmMashed taters are my favorite too….. it must run in the Crawford family! You can never go wrong with potatoes and cheese! Tons of great recipes!
Gretchen says
April 25, 2014 at 7:29 pmThe cream cheese is key. I can’t make them with out it.