An important secret to getting through the holidays when you’re hosting is to make ahead when you can! The less you have to fuss over on the big day, the better. These make ahead mashed potatoes can be prepared up to 2 days before which makes them perfect for holiday planning. Just gently reheat (oven, slow cooker, microwave) and they’ll be as creamy and delicious as if you made them moments before.
Hello, all!
The holidays are fast approaching and that means it’s time for me to share a few of my favorite holiday recipes! Some new, some old, but all delicious and excellent for holiday entertaining.
Recently I shared my recipe for honey roasted carrots, a perennial favorite for holidays and celebrations. And today I have a great idea for mashed potatoes.
Make Ahead FTW!
Why stand over the sink peeling potatoes and then over a hot pot cooking them and then over the pot again mashing them (whew, I’m getting tired just writing this 😉 ) while you are in the middle of Doing All the Things to get dinner on the table when you could have made them the day before?
I know! I always made my potatoes the day of, but I am now fully on board the make ahead train and I hope all of you hop on too!
What do you need?
- Yellow potatoes – (such as Yukon Gold) They have the right balance of waxiness and starchiness to make a light, but creamy mash. And they have the benefit of a buttery flavor!
- Cream cheese – Tang + fat + creaminess. We amp up the creamy texture here.
- Butter – Let’s take the butteriness of the potatoes and ramp it up to 11. The butter also helps guard against the mixture getting gluey.
- Half and Half – This is a holiday recipe. Leaner whole milk will be underwhelming, but you don’t need heavy cream either. Half and half is a good medium. Enough but not too much. (If you want too much, feel free to replace some or all of the half and half with heavy cream.)
- Salt – Do not forget the salt! I have done so and wondered why things tasted so flat. And then I added salt. Learn from my mistakes.
How to Make This
To make ahead mashed potatoes boil diced potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and dry them in the pot. Then mash and mix them with cream cheese, butter, and half and half. Let cool and keep in the fridge until you are ready to reheat them.
While this recipe is quite straightforward, I do have some info to help you along.
1. Dice and boil
Use an even dice (so that the pieces are all about the same size), start with cold water, and cook them until a fork goes in easily.
How about steaming or baking? I’ve tried both and find boiling the easiest method. Baking takes forever and then you need to deal with the hot potatoes as you scoop out the flesh. And when steaming large amounts I find the cooking to be uneven, leading to undercooked and overcooked potatoes in the same pot.
2. Dry
This is a key step for them to be extra creamy, not at all watery! A minute or two heating the drained potatoes in the pot is all you need. Just keep the heat low enough so they don’t brown on the bottom.
3. Mash
I recommend using either of two methods for mashing: ricer or masher. Either will get the job done without overworking the potatoes. The question whether you want a super smooth mash (ricer) or are fine with a more homestyle mash which may have some lumps (masher). Masher is quicker, ricer takes a little longer.
What I don’t recommend is using a mixer. I’ve tried it and sometimes I get lovely potatoes and other times they end up gluey. If you decide to go that way, be careful and mix as little as possible.
Which ricer or masher do you recommend? There are a lot of great tools to use, but if I have to pick my favorites they would be: Chef’n FreshForce Ricer – it’s both easy to use and easy to clean; and Smooth Oxo Masher – very ergonomic and stable.
4. Fold in the add-ins
Start with the cream cheese and get that mixed in. Then slowly add the warm butter and cream until your potatoes are creamy but just a little too soft.
Why too soft? Because these potatoes are going to sit, which means they are also going to have a chance to absorb some of the liquid. If they are perfect now, they are going to be a little dry later.
Once they are good, put them into your container and into the fridge they go! If you are reheating in the oven, put them right in a casserole dish. For microwave or slow cooker, you can use a bowl or storage container. No matter what, get them into the fridge quickly so they cool down quickly.
5. Reheat
Once again I give you choices!
- Microwave: Use a microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap (with holes in it!) and microwave at ~75% power, stirring every 5 minutes until hot.
- Slow cooker: Put the potatoes in your slow cooker and heat on high for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then switch the slow cooker to low and hold them up to 3 hours. (This works for up to 5 lbs. If you make a larger recipe, heat the potatoes first – carefully on the stovetop or in the microwave before you put them in the slow cooker on low.)
- Oven: Bake in a covered casserole at 350F for 30 minutes. (Split into two casseroles for a double recipe.)
If you try my recipe for Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes, I would love to hear from you in the comments with your experience and rating! And I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.
– Happy Eating, Annemarie
Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 5 lb yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold
- 2 cups half and half
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for topping
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3-4 tbsp chopped fresh chives or parsley for topping
Instructions
- Warm the Cream Cheese: Take out the cream cheese and dice it up so it can warm to room temperature.
- Dice: Fill a large pot with water, about half way. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 inch dice, keeping the pieces about the same size. When you finish put them in the pot with the water.
- Cook: Add a heaping spoonful of salt to the pot with the potatoes. Then bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once it's boiling reduce the heat to keep at a good boil (without boiling over). Cook them until tender when you pierce them with a fork, about 12-15 minutes.
- Heat the Milk and Butter: While the potatoes are cooking, put the half and half and butter in a medium saucepan and heat until steaming but not boiling. Keep the mixture on low until you are ready to use it.
- Dry: Drain potatoes and then put them back on the burner to dry. Heat them for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently until you've cooked off most of the water. Remove the pot from the heat.
- Mash: Add the kosher salt and black pepper to the pot with the potatoes. Either with a masher with a ricer, mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Add the Mix-ins: Add the cream cheese and gently fold the potatoes a few times to start mixing it in. Add 1 cup of the milk mixture and fold that in. Then add 1/2 cup of the milk mixture and fold everything together until smooth and combined. Add the remaining 1/2 cup a bit at a time until the mash is a bit loose. But be careful not to overmix!
- Chill: Once everything is mixed, transfer it to a large bowl or casserole dish, make sure it is well covered, and chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Reheat: See the notes below for reheating instructions.
- Serve: Just before serving top with pats of butter and chopped fresh chives or parsley.
Notes
- Reheating the Mashed Potatoes:
- Oven: Cover your casserole dish with foil and heat in a 350F oven for 30-40 minutes. (If you need to hold them in the oven longer, reduce the heat to 200F once they are hot and you can keep them for another 20-30 minutes.)
- Slow Cooker: Add the potatoes to the slow cooker (don't chill them in the liner!!) and heat on high for 30 minutes, then switch to low where you can hold them for about 3 hours. Stir occasionally. Add more milk if needed.
- Microwave: Use a microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap (with holes in it!) and microwave at ~75% power, stirring every 5 minutes until hot.
- Potatoes: You can switch to russets or use a mix of russets and yellow potatoes.
- Soaking: If you are not ready to cook the potatoes right after you dice them, you can keep them in cold water for 3-4 hours before boiling them. I recommend changing the water before cooking if you do this.
- Ricer vs. Masher: Both are great! The ricer will make smoother, fluffier potatoes while the masher is simpler and makes a more rustic potato mash.
Jessica says
Made these for Thanksgiving 2024 and everyone said they were the best I’ve made!
Summer says
If storing in the fridge for a day or two in casserole dish, can I just place foil on top?
justalittlebitofbacon says
That should be fine so long as you cover it well.
Kathleen Gunter says
Do you have to use yellow potato’s for success in this day ahead recipe? Ie Russett? I’m
justalittlebitofbacon says
I prefer the flavor and texture of yellow potatoes but you can use russets as well. You may need more or less half and half and butter. I’m not sure how much cream the russets can hold.
Kathleen Gunter says
Thank you for your reply!
Michele says
I will always do them this way from now on.
Suzanne says
We’ve made these a few times now, we got the idea from a friend who made them. The potatoes come out great! The whole family loves them.
Janet Fettig says
Have made this recipe a couple times, usually for holidays so avoid last minute mashing potatoes as everyone is waiting to sit down and eat. 😀. I like to bake it in the oven to reheat and and broil to get the swirls a little ‘tan’ in color, but watch it!!! It is delicious and always well received. It allows to have meal preparation done ahead of time to avoid last minute rush. And I like that!
Mary says
Excellent. Made for Christmas dinner for 2 . Cut in half recipe. Kept warm per Rachel Ray in pan over hot low water.
Heidi E says
Delicious! I made for Thanksgiving and it was so nice to have the dish done a day ahead of time. I have never cut my potatoes into small cubes and I will never do it any other way now. I put in the crockpot on Thanksgiving just for ease of getting things done at the same time and not using up my oven.
Lisa says
Can you make this the day of (ahead of time) and just add it to slow cooker to keep warm and skip the fridge step!
justalittlebitofbacon says
I wouldn’t recommend keeping the potatoes in the slow cooker for that long.
Kathy says
Can this be frozen??
justalittlebitofbacon says
Maybe? I’ve never frozen mashed potatoes in my life. I’m sure a quick search would come up with some methods though.