It's pretty hard to screw up mashed potatoes. You boil them, you mash them. Hmmm...I suppose you could add too much salt. Or have lumps. Or be soupy rather than thick and creamy...I take it back! Mashed potatoes CAN easily be screwed up. But if you follow this recipe, trust me when I tell you, there will be no screw-ups this year. I'm giving the 100% Dianne Guarantee on this one.
Dianne was my mom. There were a million and one things that made my mom the exceptionally magnificent person that she was and still is in spirit--beautiful, brainy, a witty wise ass, unbelievable cook--the list could go on and on. One day I'll write a post about her where I can give her the ample devotion she deserves. But today, I'm going to focus on one area. Her unbelievable cooking. Specifically, her unbelievable mashed potatoes.
When I was growing up, we did not eat these snowy mashed potatoes all the time. These in particular were reserved for the special occasions--usually Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter--probably due to their richness and fat content. Be warned, these are not sissy mashed potatoes and not for the faint of waist. But they're one of the top foods I remember from my childhood and always invoke huge smiles from my dad and sisters when they reappear on the table today. I've made these occasionally for friends and the general response is usually, "Oh my God..."
My mom cooked a wide variety of foods, but there were a few "signature" dishes of hers--this being one of them. And now, in honor of what would have been her 65th birthday (which was yesterday), I am sharing this signature dish with all of you. I hope at least one of you will try these this month for your Thanksgiving dinner. You can thank me afterwards...
Oh, and in case you're wondering why they are called "snowy", the truth is, I have no idea. They just are!
Snowy Mashed Potatoes
-4 lbs. white potatoes (about 12 medium potatoes)
-(1) 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
-1 cup sour cream
-2 tsp. salt
-1/8 tsp. pepper
-1 garlic clove smashed
-1/4 cup chopped chives
-1/2 tsp. paprika
-1 tbsp. butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water 15-20 minutes or until tender, drain. Mash with beater.
Mix in everything but butter, paprika, & chives. Mix on high speed (with a hand mixer) till smooth and light. Stir in chives.
Spoon into lightly greased baking dish*. Sprinkle with paprika and place butter on top of potatoes.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
*You can use any size baking dish you'd like (I've seen people use 9x13 pans) but preferably, a round dish works best because the butter runs down the potatoes.
Enjoy!!
We might not make these for Thanksgiving this year! Last year we made them to bring over to my cousin's and they just were not the same after they were transported. We're going over there again this year, so Lauren's thinking about skipping them. Can you believe it?? Guess we'll just have to do them for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteDid they just not reheat well??
ReplyDelete