Raise your hand if you just can’t think about Thanksgiving without dreaming of mashed potatoes.
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Now, raise your hand if you’d really like to have one less thing to cook on Thanksgiving Day.
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Well, friends, have I got a game-changing deal for you!! No longer will you need to get your potato facial right before serving your Thanksgiving meal. No longer will you have to worry if the potatoes take longer than expected to soften. These are the dreamiest, creamiest gravy pond makers you’ve ever had…AND…they can be made in advance. Are you ready for the deliciousness? Let’s go.
What I love about this recipe…
- It’s what my Grandmother made every Thanksgiving while I was growing up, so I pretty much equate them to the holiday itself.
- They can be made up to a week in advance. No joke.
- They actually freeze well, too. So, if you’re having a smaller dinner and only want to bake half of them, save the other half for later!
- I’ve made them with full fat ingredients and reduced fat ingredients and it seems to make no difference in taste. Just don’t use fat free. It is Thanksgiving, after all!
- Ummm…you had me at mashed potatoes, amiright?
What’s in it?
5 lbs. potatoes
6 oz. cream cheese (full or reduced fat)
1 c. sour cream (full or reduced fat)
2 tsp. onion salt
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. butter (plus additional for dotting on top)
How do you make it?
Cook peeled potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender. Drain. Mash potatoes until smooth (no lumps). Add remaining ingredients and beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Cool.
At this point, you can either refrigerate them in the bowl they were mixed in or put them into their cooking dish(es). I alternate between using two 8×8 pans or one 9×13 pan. If you are putting them into the cooking dish, make sure to grease the dish with either butter or spray before spreading the potatoes evenly into it. Cover tightly and refrigerate for up to one week.
Before cooking, let the potatoes warm up a bit to almost room temperature. Dot the top with additional pats of butter. Bake at 350⁰ until heated through, approximately 30 minutes.
I really hope you try these soon. And, if you do, report back! I’d love to hear from you! And, as always, here’s your handy dandy PDF printable of the recipe — Grandmother’s Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes.
Happy Thanksgiving!