Baked Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

This baked cheesy mashed potatoes or mashed potato casserole recipe is the ultimate potato side dish. Creamy, fluffy, and full of flavor, and loaded with cheese!! The perfect make ahead dish and one everyone will love. A great side dish for any roast and also great for potlucks too.

Baked Mashed Potatoes Recipe Ingredients

• POTATOES: Really and truly you can mash any potato and some people love to use a variation of a few for extra texture but I have found that using Yukon Gold Potatoes or russet potatoes yield the creamiest mash potatoes. The russet are slightly starchier but absorb seasonings, butter, and cream really beautifully - yielding fluffy mash. The Yukon gold ones are more expensive but have a naturally more buttery flavour and texture. Feel free to do a combination if you would like.
• GARLIC: I use 3 small cloves of garlic for this recipe - feel free to add more for extra glarlicky mashed potatoes or less for more subtle flavors.
• BUTTER: I use unsalted butter cubed and room temperature - no need to melt it. Add more to taste.
• MILK: I use whole milk and I warm it before adding it to the potatoes
• SOUR CREAM: Adds richness and a little tanginess to the mashed potatoes. Make sure it is room temperature.
• CREAM CHEESE: I love to add cream cheese or better yet herby Boursin for tanginess and extra cheese! Make sure it is softened and room temperature - or you may have to microwave it for a few seconds at a time until softened.
• CHEESE: I like to use shredded cheddar cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese that gets stirred into the mashed potatoes and then the rest is topped over them before baking. If you prefer one or the other or would like to use another cheese or cheese blend feel free to do so - just keep the amount of cheese the same and choose cheese that melts nicely. You could also grate a little parmesan cheese on top too for even more cheese! For best results, grate your own cheese. Pre-grated cheese includes preservatives to keep the cheese from clumping together, which affects meltability.
• ADD INS: Of course you could take these baked mashed potatoes to another level by adding crumbled cooked bacon bits and other yummy toppings that you can also stir into the mash too. There are loads of options. Feel free to play around with the flavours and add ins. This is a great staple recipe that you can build on and one I think you will love.
  
  

How To Make These Easy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1. COOK POTATOES & GARLIC: Place chopped potatoes and whole peeled and smashed garlic cloves in large pot and fill with cold water with pinch or two of salt - bring to a boil then reduce and simmer until tender
2. DRAIN POTATOES & RETURN TO POT: Drain cooked potatoes and garlic and place back into hot pan off the heat. Give them a minute to dry out then start mashing them
3. ADD MILK, SOUR CREAM, CREAM CHEESE & BUTTER: Drizzle in the warm milk and add in the room temperature butter, sour cream and cream cheese.
4. STIR IN CHEESE: Stir in half of the cheese
5. TRANSFER TO BAKING DISH: Transfer to prepared baking dish, sprinkle over remaining cheeses
6. BAKE: Bake 30 minutes until bubbling and golden.
   
   

Tips to make great mashed potatoes:

• Make sure to cut the potatoes the same size. Cutting the potatoes the same size will allow them all to cook evenly.
• It’s always a good idea to cook the potatoes in cold water: This ensures that the potatoes cook evenly instead of putting them into boiling water.
• Cut potatoes before boiling. Don’t boil them whole for this recipe because large, whole potatoes cook unevenly. So instead, cut your ptatoes into evenly sized smaller pieces for quick and even boiling. I usually peel mine because I don’t want to have to worry about peeling them while they are hot unless you are use a ricer.
• Don’t let the potatoes cool before mashing - you want to start mashing as soon as possible after they’ve been boiled and drained for easy and effective mashing.
• Always use warm milk or cream - Milk straight out of the fridge will cool down otherwise piping-hot potatoes. The cold liquid will not absorb into the hot potatoes very well
• Do not melt butter before stirring it into the potatoes because the milk solids and fat will separate. Room temperature butter to your hot potatoes is ideal because the butter will melt as a whole and distribute the fat and milk solids evenly.
• Do salt the water the potatoes are boiled in as they will absorb it and will make them more flavourful and do check seasoning throughout the whole process.
• After draining the cooked potatoes put the potatoes back in the hot pot, and let them sit there shaking them up a bit in the pot for 1 minutes. This lets the potatoes dry out a bit which leads to more flavorful and less waterlogged potatoes. Then start adding the butter and cream.
• Do not use and electric mixer or food processor to mash your potatoes - there is a fine line between smooth mashed potatoes and gummy mashed potatoes - and blending them makes it easier to cross it.
  
  

Baked Mashed Potatoes Make Ahead & Storage

• MAKE AHEAD: Prepare the casserole as directed up to baking. Cover the casserole dish with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, remove the potatoes from the refrigerator and let the dish come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes before baking. Remove the plastic wrap and bake at 350 ° F and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until slightly browned and warmed through. If you add it straight to a hot oven, the dish may crack.
• STORAGE: Store cooled leftover baked mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel so the casserole does not dry out. Stir in some melted butter, milk or cream to loosen them up before serving if desired.
  
  

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