Thankful for Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

I love Thanksgiving. I used to say it was one of my top four favorite holidays, right up there with Valentine’s Day, Christmas Eve and Halloween, but who am I kidding? I love ‘em all. Holiday, non-holiday, it matters not. An opportunity to gather around family and friends and share good food, good times and make good memories? It doesn’t get much better than that.

Thanksgiving is traditionally one of “my” holidays, where I get to host everyone at our house. I plan the menu months ahead, and make notes of the “winners and losers” from each year.  I actually keep an Entertaining Diary, I kid you not. Over the past few years, I’ve been keeping an eye on having some of the same dishes (the winners, of course) continue to appear at the table, year after year. This way, we have a solid core of repeaters, and then it is rounded out by a few new recipes. Everyone is happy as we have tried-and-true favorites that we look forward to, and some new recipes that might become must-have dishes for the following year.

One of our favorite recipes is for mashed potatoes. I love mashed potatoes, but never really use a recipe. It’s just one of those wing-it things for me. Then a few years ago I stumbled upon a recipe from Southern Living magazine that included sour cream, cream cheese, milk, butter … s-w-o-o-n. And best of all? It’s a make-ahead dish, something that wins bonus points when oven space, particularly during the holiday season, is at a premium. And, so it hit the table. It’s good, it’s simple, and it’s a perfect accompaniment for all the other traditional fare that turns up on the Thanksgiving table.

You know how much I love cheese, right?  Well, to “kick this up a notch” when serving, I add a little bit of Cheddar cheese on top of the mashed potatoes, along with crumbled bits of crispy bacon. Sort of like putting the toppings on a baked potato, except you’re doing it on the mashed potatoes, you know? As they say … “winner, winner, chicken dinner.” Go get ‘em.

Recipe courtesy of Southern Living magazine.

3 lb. potatoes (about 4 large)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 (3-oz) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon. paprika

Boil potatoes with salt until tender. Drain. Peel potatoes; place in large mixing bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Add 2 tbsp. butter and next 3 ingredients, mixing until all ingredients are blended.

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 12 x 8 x 2 inch baking dish. Brush top of mixture with melted butter; sprinkle with paprika. Bake immediately, or cover and refrigerate. If refrigerated, let stand at room temperature 30 min. before baking. Bake at 350, uncovered, 30 minutes or until hot.

Yield 6-8 servings