Do you have varying taste buds in your family?
What if you could make one base mashed potato recipe and turn it into two?
Look no further! Your problem is solved with my recipe for “Sinfully Rich and Silky 2 Way Mashed Potatoes” with variations to accommodate simple and mature taste buds alike.
Our lives are so much easier when we can multi-purpose anything. So, why not food, too? While the holidays are a joyous time, they can also be very stressful. Food is not something we want to add to that stress. Not only that, but what if we could cut corners and indulge at the same time?
Many Tries by Me so You can Enjoy your Holidays with Ease.
After many tries and changes, I developed this amazing recipe that I can’t imagine substituting with any other. In addition, I provide some substitutions and suggestions to enhance your own recipes.
Realty is…
Good homemade mashed potatoes consist of only four ingredients: potatoes, butter, cream, and salt. But sometimes, maybe you just want something a little different. Maybe for the holidays or a special occasion you want to enhance your potatoes and make them extra special. I’ve got you covered!
What are these Sinfully Rich and Silky 2 Way Mashed Potatoes?
Imagine the base consisting of potatoes, roasted garlic, butter, salt, sour cream, cream cheese, and half & half. I didn’t say these potatoes are healthy; they are meant to be indulgent. Now let’s zhuzh them up, each with something a little different to create two different dishes. Imagine one topped with cheddar cheese and baked until ooey, gooey with crunchy edges and a soft, silky interior. The other is so light and fluffy, you almost confuse it for homemade whipped topping, but it’s salty and rich with a drizzling of sage-infused butter and topped with crispy, fried sage.
What about Some Enhancements?
To the Cheesy Baked Potato Casserole, you could add crumbled, fried bacon on top or as a condiment when you serve it. Sounds a bit like a baked potato, right? But, oh no! It’s so much more. Kids and adults alike would enjoy this version. For the kiddos, you could leave out the roasted garlic in the initial prep.
To the Sage-Infused Butter Topped Potato, you could also top them with crispy, crumbled pancetta for a little Italian flare. Ooohhh… now we’re talking!
How Exactly do you Make these Sinfully Rich and Silky 2 Way Mashed Potatoes?
Check out my recipe below with notes and my YouTube Channel with a video of the process and tips!
If you make these potatoes, I truly hope you enjoy them as much as we do. They are a favorite of mine and Scott’s, and we eat them every year either at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
My Cooking and Baking Philosophy
I follow the cooking mentality that recipes are a guide. I usually make them exactly as stated the first time, and then I go through with a pen and mark them up. Check out any of my cookbooks; you can always tell which recipes I enjoy making… they look like a teacher graded them. 😊 I think recipes are meant to provide a path to something great, but since we are all different, we may choose slight variations. So, adjust recipes to fit your preferences and taste buds. If you live by this philosophy, you will always enjoy what you create and eat.
Sinfully Rich and Silky 2 Way Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- potato ricer (necessary for the lightest and fluffiest potatoes)
- toaster oven (not necessary if using oven)
- crock pot / slow cooker (necessary if making ahead)
Ingredients
Mashed Potato Base (for both potato dishes)
- 1 whole garlic bulb
- 1 tbsp olive oil for drizzling
- 5 lbs potatoes (Russet or Yukon Gold) peeled and diced
- 1 stick butter room temperature and cut into pieces
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature and cut into pieces
- 1-3 tsp salt adjust salt based on preference; start with 1 tsp and taste, then add more
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¼ cup half & half or milk heated prior to adding to the potatoes
Cheesy Baked Potato Casserole Finishes
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1-2 cups cheddar cheese your preferred sharpness level
Sage-Infused Butter Topped Potato Finishes
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra-virgin
- 5-7 leaves fresh sage whole leaves
- 4 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup fresh sage chopped
Instructions
Mashed Potato Base (for both potato dishes)*
- Preheat oven or toaster oven** to 400˚F / 204˚C and prepare garlic bulb. Remove majority of the external paper covering the bulb.*** Cut about ¼-½ inch off from the root end of a garlic bulb to expose most of the cloves underneath. Discard the cut root end and any loose paper. Place bulb on a sheet of foil and rub the exposed cloves with olive oil. Sprinkle with course salt. Seal with foil. Place in oven for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check after 30 minutes and decide how caramelized you would like them. Leave them in for longer if you desire more and check every 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven and allow to cool to touch.TIP: Roasting garlic in a bain-marie (hot water bath) prevents the garlic from "burning" to the foil. To do this, place water in the pan and then sit the foil covered garlic in the water. The foil opening should to be at the top and NOT sitting in the water.
- Place prepared potatoes in a large pot. Cover them with COLD water (hot will cause them to cook unevenly). Add 1¼ tbsp of salt (add enough salt to where the water tastes like the sea). Taste the water to ensure enough seasoning (potatoes absorb more salt when boiled and results in less salt needed at the end). Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low/medium and set the timer for 15 minutes. Then, check the largest pieces of potato with a knife for tenderness. When tender, drain well in a colander to remove as much water as possible.
- Prepare a large bowl for the potatoes. Place cut up butter and cream cheese in a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350˚F / 177˚C and set the Crock-Pot or slow cooker to warm.
- Rice the potatoes and roasted garlic. Use your ricer and rice potatoes on top of the butter and cream cheese (the heat will melt both). As you work in batches, squeeze out the cooled garlic from any intact skins and rice it along with potatoes.
- Add the rest of the base ingredients. Pour in the warmed half & half, scoop in the sour cream, and add the salt. Carefully, combine all ingredients until well mixed.
Cheesy Baked Potato Casserole Finishes****
- In a greased 1.5-2 quart casserole dish, scoop in half of the potatoes. Brush on melted butter and top with desired amount of cheese.
- Place potato casserole in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly and crispy around the edges. Remove when ready and enjoy.
Sage-Infused Butter Topped Potato Finishes
- If you are not ready to eat the potatoes after they've been mixed. Then, you need to keep them warm in a Crock-Pot or slow cooker until time.
- Prepare fried sage. For the fried sage, in a small saucepan over low-medium heat, add olive oil and allow to heat up for 30 seconds. Place one sage leaf in the oil to check the temperature. If the oil sizzles around it, the oil is ready.**** If not, remove leaf, wait a few more seconds and try again. Allow leaf to cook for 5 seconds, turn it over with tongs and allow to cook another 5 seconds. Remove the leaf from the oil and place on a paper-lined plate to drain. Repeat with other sage leaves working in batches of 3-4 at at time. You only need to fry 5-7, just enough to decorate and crumble over the potatoes.
- Prepare the sage-infused butter. In the same small saucepan, heat butter until melted and sizzling. Add the chopped sage and allow to infuse the butter for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and pour into a measuring cup.
- Transfer potatoes from slow cooker to a 1.5 quart serving dish. Use a spoon or knife to create swirls on top of the potatoes. Drizzle the sage-infused butter into the crevices. Decorate the top with the crispy fried sage leaves and crumble any extras on top to add more color and texture. Eat and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Looking for additional dishes to bake this holiday season? Check these out.
Savory Bread Pudding (Gluten and Gluten Free Options)
PanettoneThanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please let me know. I would appreciate a like, a follow, or even a comment. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of the blog bakes and dishes. Shorter videos on kitchen hacks and tips coming this week. Stay tuned!