Creamy Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Make ahead mashed potatoes are the best idea for a crowd at the holidays! You'll love these easy, creamy potatoes which you can make the day before. Heat them up in a casserole in the oven, in the microwave, or in a slow cooker (crockpot)! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any other holiday.
Servings 10
Calories 300kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 300kcal