Thanksgiving: Smashed Potatoes

The holidays are almost upon us!  It's officially the week before Thanksgiving, and what better way to celebrate than by posting 5 quintessential Thanksgiving recipes?  NOTHING!  So here they are!  We will start with Smashed Potatoes, then Roasted Cauliflower Gratin, Garlic Roasted Chicken with Gravy, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Spiced Oatmeal Cookies!  Get out the stretchy pants!

First up is smashed potatoes!  I prefer to use Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes for my mashed potatoes--it takes a lot LESS cream and butter to make them smooth and velvety (which means less calories per serving!).  If you prefer to use Idaho Potatoes then be prepared to at least double the amount of the other ingredients.

Side note--If it were up to my husband, we would have potatoes with every meal, mainly mashed potatoes.  It's a great thing that he LOVES my mashed potatoes (seriously--he claimed them "better than mom's"!). 

Anyway--During my tenure in a banquet kitchen, we used real cream and butter to make them.  It was like taking the potatoes and just putting on your hips and thighs, but they were soooooo good!

I've lightened the recipe slightly by using cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and milk.  Still delicious just not so many calories!  I prefer to leave the skin on my potatoes and to 'smash' them.

{Yes--I actually had to weigh the potatoes because I usually make this recipe by sight rather than actual measurements, but I did it for you!}

{Boil potatoes!}

{Make sure everything is close to room temperature so make mixing/mashing easier}

{That yellow stuff (besides the butter) is garlic; we are garlic smashed potato people!}

{Adding salt and pepper}

Smashed Potatoes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2.5 pounds potatos, diced and peeled if desired

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons sour cream, room temperature

1/4 cup milk, room temperature

1. Boil potatoes until tender; drain.
2. Place boiled potatoes in a boil; add remaining ingredients on top.
3. Mix, mash or whip potatoes until desired consistency is reached (chunky, smooth, etc).
4. Add any additional ingredients like garlic, 'loaded', etc.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Thanksgiving bonus:  You can make mashed potatoes ahead of time!  Just keep them in a casserole dish, and on Thanksgiving, pop them in the oven for about an hour at 350 or until heated through!

What kinds of extras do you like to add to your potatoes? 

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