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Friday, April 29, 2011

Make-ahead mashed potato casserole

An awesome little barbeque joint just down the freeway serves this cheesy mashed potato casserole dish to die for. When we eat it, we just groan in happiness.

Well now we can have it anytime we want, because I finally found a recipe that tastes just like it. Mmmmmmm! It’s from a Taste of Home magazine (does anyone get that magazine - it’s fun to find new recipes to try every month). I flagged it for Easter brunch, and Ma graciously prepared it (yay for us!). That thing was gone so fast I almost didn’t get to taste it.

First, here’s what the casserole looks like preassembled the night before and ready to pop in the fridge. (Yeah, yeah, wish I had a picture of it after cooking the next day – but I’ve already mentioned that when good food is sitting in front of me the camera is forgotten):

DSC_4881LR

DSC_5080LRWe made only a couple of changes from the original recipe, including trying these frozen, steam n’ mash potatoes for the first time – handy little things. The recipe works with any ol’ kind of potatoes, of course.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potato Casserole

Ingredients

  • 9 medium peeled and cubed potatoes (or 2 24-ounce bags of frozen potato cubes) 
  • 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup butter, cubed
  • 1/4 cup 2% milk
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 6 bacon strips, chopped
  • 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3 green onions, chopped

Directions

  • Cook bacon until crisp, set aside to drain on paper towels.
  • Bring potato cubes to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender, drain. (Or, prepare two bags of frozen potato cubes).
  • Mash potatoes with cream cheese, sour cream and butter. (We don’t own a potato masher – gasp -- so we just use a hand mixer.) Stir in milk and seasonings.
  • Plop potato mixture in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish (we use our glass lasagna pan); sprinkle with cheese, onions and bacon. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (That’s the BEST part – no need to run around like crazy on party day, the work is all done the day before.)
  • Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-50 minutes or until heated through. (If you have a convection oven like we do, you can easily bake three of these babies at the same time.)

Oh man, this stuff is so good!

View printable recipe (I’m trying something new – can you let me know if the printable works?).

Now, does anyone have any more casserole or slow-cooker recipes I can check out? I’ve been trying to get more adventurous in the kitchen and it’s really fun.

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SpringFling_thumb2_thumb1Post #29. No pics from Tahoe yet, but they’re having lots of fun according to phone reports. Check out these other spring fling bloggers: And babies make four…, Another Journey, Birdie and the Queen Bee, Catherine’s Chatter, Diary of a Nouveau Soccer Mom, Dragonflies, Journey to Motherhood, Koprowski Kids, Life with L and M (julialaine.net), Love and a Little Craziness, Mindful of Mine, Moments with Maisie, No Ordinary Family, One Plus One Equals Four, Our Boy and His Cricket, Searching for Sophie, Spectacular S, Three Kids = Chaos, To Vietnam and China, We’re Here.

20 comments:

  1. Anonymous4/29/2011

    Just boil real potatoes and then peel them under cold running water! Less waste (no plastic packaging and also microwaving with plastic is much debated), fresher potatoes, zero salt and zero disodium pyrophosphate. Also - fresh potatoes just taste better! And it takes more or less, the same amount of time!

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  2. Mmmmmm. I've been making potatoes a lot lately. We do things the hard way around here though... Don't even own a microwave anymore, by choice!

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  3. Thanks for sharing this! My mouth watered when you pictured it the other day. I'm so going to make this for company on Monday! (I especially love that I can make it ahead of time!)

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  4. Oh yea....gonna have to make this one soon. Really? frozen potatoes-super cool even yet.

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  5. Anonymous4/29/2011

    Thanks for sharing the recipe! Plan to serve it to friends soon! The printable recipe is wonderful!
    In Christian Love,
    Grandma to 5 (2 from China)

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  6. Yesterday I thought "a potato recipe is going to be her post? How boring" but now I have to confess I will probably try this for a potluck sometime.

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  7. The view printable recipe worked great! I love that! Thanks for making it so easy! I can't wait to make this! Thanks for sharing.

    This is one of our favorites recipes from my favorite recipe site.

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Spaghetti/Detail.aspx

    I have also made this up to 3 days in advance and then just cooked it when we were ready to eat it. We usually use ground turkey anytime a recipe calls for ground beef. And i think next time I'm going to add a package of frozen chopped spinach to the sauce. When someone is sick or has a baby or just needs some one to bring them a meal I usually just make this, add a bag of salad and a loaf of yummy bread and it's a great meal.

    -Jen-

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  8. You had me at bacon.

    You may want to try the crockpot version of Hawaiian Kalua Pig.
    1 pork butt or shoulder
    2 cups apple cider or pineapple juice
    1 cap of liquid smoke
    Toss it in and cook in crockpot on low for 8 hours then, on high for 2 hours.

    Happy eating!
    M.

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  9. Looks so good. I am starving!!!!!

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  10. Chicken & Rice

    9x13 pan 350 degrees 1hr30min

    2c minute rice
    1 can cr mushroom soup
    1 can cr celery soup
    1 can french onion soup
    1 can water
    mix all above in the 9x13 pan
    add chicken pieces (whatever type your family likes) on top, melt a little butter if you like and pour over chicken and rice.
    bake uncovered for 1hr30 min
    let it set for about 15 min before serving to let it set up.

    I have also used already chopped up frozen chicken pieces and just mixed it all in together.

    this is a really easy and quick one dish meal that my whole family loves and it is easily doubled which is what I usually do when I make it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous4/29/2011

    Italian Roast Beef

    One beef roast (about three pounds)
    1jar banana pepper (mild or hot)
    1 packet zesty italian dressing mix
    About 1 cup water

    Place roast in crock pot. Drain peppers and dump over the roast. Sprinkle dressing mix over the roast. Add the water and cook on high for about 5 hours.

    When beef is cooked shred with a fork, and use kitchen scissors to cut up the beef and peppers. Let sit in the crock pot for a while to absorb the juice.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love this recipe. I've been making it for years...same one as served at Cheddar's Restaurant in the Midwest (wrangled the recipe out of my cousin when she worked there 15 years ago). We call them Double Smashed Potatoes. The only difference is that I leave the skins on when I mash them. The vitamins are in the skin, so I feel less guilty filling up on bacon and starch! SO good...I agree. Great potluck carry in dish...I take it everywhere.

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  13. Our fav hot dish (we are Minnesotan and don't DO casseroles..) Is a tortilla hotdish.

    Ingredients:
    8-12 8" corn tortillas - cut in 1/2
    can of black beans - drained
    can of corn (optional) - drained
    can of tomatos - drained
    Shredded mozzarella cheese
    green tomatillo salsa - that you like and the girls can tolerate in terms of spiciness
    1/8 tsp. cumin

    mix beans, corn, tomatos and cumin together

    1.)In a large baking dish put a very slim layer of salsa

    2.) layer tortillas slightly overlaping, so straight edges meet the side of the baking dish

    3.) layer 1/2 of bean/corn mix

    4.) add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of salsa over the top

    5.) add mozzarella cheese

    6.) repeat starting with tortillas, bean mix, salsa, cheese.

    Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.

    Saves well, reheats well and be made with lots of variety.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Looks yummy, I do something similar. I have a few recipes that I plan to post soon that I call spice dump recipes as you mix everything together in one pot or crockpot and cook.

    Can you believe, only one day until we reach 30 posts!

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  15. Mmmm! Yummo! Will have to try these for sure.

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  16. That looks amazing! I would the entire tray myself. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Anonymous4/29/2011

    Layer in crockpot:
    2 pounds round steak, cut in 1" strips
    2 cans chili or pinto beans
    1 jar (about 2 cups)salsa
    About 30 mins. before done, top with strips/rings of bell pepper.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous4/29/2011

    i.e. chili beans, not chili w/meat

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  19. Oh man! I used to get Taste of Home magazine until I gained 30 lbs trying the recipes! We used to jokingly call it Taste of Fat! Yummy food, but man did it pack on the calories for me!

    Still, I may need to try this recipe. :)

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  20. I just made the sweet potato crab cakes the other night from Taste of Home (a recent issue--I'm not sure which one) and we loved them! Great magazine. I'm sure we'd all gobble up your potato casserole. :)

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