Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

The construction continues and I'm living in a chaos of cardboard boxes, elusive dust bunnies and a constant stream of dirty work boots traipsing in and out of my house.  I've come to the conclusion that I will not have a clean house until the construction is finished.  Once I realized this, took a deep breath and put a smile on my face, life became a little easier.

Since I am done trying to clean the chaos, I have focused my attention on Thanksgiving, my absolute favorite holiday.  I cook too much (and eat too much, but we won't talk about that) so I like to get a head start.  Whatever I can make ahead, I do.  Today, I'll tell you about make ahead mashed potatoes.  Anytime you need a make ahead side dish, this fits the bill.

MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATOES

2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
salt/pepper
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup half & half
2 heaping TBS sour cream

Clean, peel and cube the potatoes.  Try to make them roughly the same size so they cook at the same time.

Place them in a big pot and add enough cold water just to cover them.  Bring to a boil, then salt them generously (If you salt them before, it takes the water much longer to come to a boil).

Boil them until they are fork tender.  You don't want them too hard or too soft.  If they slide easily off the fork, they're good.

Drain the potatoes in a colander.  Meanwhile, in the hot pot, add the butter, milk, half & half and sour cream, stirring over LOW heat until all melted together.  Don't boil this or it will curdle.  Just gently melt it together.

Place the drained potatoes in the bowl of a mixer (or just a big bowl if you don't have a stand mixer).  Mix (just the potatoes) until mashed.  Or use a hand mixer or a potato masher to mash them.

Then, add the melted butter mixture and mix until smooth.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish.

Spread the mashed potatoes into the buttered dish and let it cool a bit.

Once it has cooled, cover it with foil and put it in the refrigerator.  It will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

When you're ready to bake it, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for a bit.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dot the top of the mashed potatoes with several pats of butter and splash a little bit of chicken broth on top (this creates steam in the oven and adds moisture).  If you're a vegetarian, use veggie broth or water.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then, carefully remove the foil (because the steam is hot!) and enjoy.  These are creamy and delicious.  I love this recipe.

Whether it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just any time you want to make life a little easier, this make ahead dish is the ticket.  One less thing to worry about the day of.  Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!