These cream cheese mashed potatoes are the perfect addition to any week night meal! They are quick, a hit with kids, and taste delicious!
What type of potatoes work best for mashed potatoes?
According to the experts, the answer depends on the desired texture of your mashed potatoes. Yukon golds are great for dense and scoop-able mashed potatoes. Whereas russets are best for lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes. Would like my answer? Whatever potatoes you can get your hands on! Honestly, there are times I throw multiple types of potatoes in the same pot, because I have them and they need to be used. I am all about stewarding your resources well and that means wasting as little food as possible. Make the mashed potatoes however you can!
Do I need to peel the potatoes beforehand?
My answer is controversial… nope! Okay there are a few exceptions, but with organic potatoes I do not worry about the peels being in my mashed potatoes at all! There are even health benefits! There are soluble fibers, antioxidants, potassium, and magnesium! It saves time and effort to keep the skins on, and I am all about that in my kitchen. I would not keep the skins on if organic is not an option. There are studies that prove that potatoes are some of the most highly pesticide sprayed crops. Removing the skins can at least lower the pesticide concentration. If the idea of pesticides being in your food is new to you look into the Dirty Dozen. I use this list to make my dollar stretch at the grocery store as much as possible. At minimum it gives me a priority list, if I cant get these dozen fruits and veggies organic, I might not purchase them at all. But, there are always exceptions and we all do the best we can. Do I always peel my conventionally grown potatoes? Nope! Sometimes it is about what I am able to find in my local store and what I have time to prioritize.
PRO TIP: If you cut the potatoes up fairly small you will have smaller pieces of skin in your cream cheese mashed potatoes and they will cook faster!
What tools do I need to make cream cheese mashed potatoes?
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Large pot
- Strainer
- Potato masher
- Measuring cups and spoons
Can I freeze mashed potatoes?
100% yes! I like to freeze mashed potatoes in quart size ziplocks to have serving size portions for another time. They turn out almost exactly the same texture for the first 6 months in the freezer. After that they are still safe to eat they just progressively loose quality. I can also take the frozen potatoes and make POTATO CAKES!
What can I do with left over cream cheese mashed potatoes?
Well this doesn’t happen very often in my house, but I do have some great suggestions! You can make a MOCK SHEPHERDS PIE, if you have vegetables that need to be used up just sauté them, brown some beef, season them with herbs and spices, and top with mashed potatoes and cheese! It is in fact delicious! Another option I previously mentioned was POTATO CAKES, which are basically fried cheesy mashed potato bites. Can you say YUM?You can easily freeze mashed potatoes for another time. My last suggestion is to make your own mashed potato bowls with gravy, canned corn, and chicken! The possibilities are truly endless and I highly suggest you try something new with mashed potatoes today!
Can I meal prep mashed potatoes?
Yes, you can! Cream cheese mashed potatoes stay good in the fridge for 5-7 days, meaning you can have this dish sitting in your fridge ready to go in the oven 30-45 minutes before dinner, depending on your dish size. This also means that making one batch on a Sunday can get you some delicious home cooked mashed potatoes in your lunch everyday of the week! Check out the section about using left over mashed potatoes, if you haven’t already, to get more meal inspiration! They also freeze beautifully! Just allow them to thaw in your fridge for at least 2 days before you go to warm them in the oven. Otherwise, if you have them in a thick baking dish like I did, you might end up with browning potatoes on the top, bottom, and sides but an ice cube in the middle. You could cook them low and slow from frozen at 300 F for 2+ hours until fully defrosted in a pinch.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp + 3 tsp granulated salt
- 5 lbs potatoes, approximately 1.5” cubes
- 4 tbsp cream cheese
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- ½ cup cream
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
1.Firstly, add your 5 lbs of potatoes to a large pot and cover them with water by at least an inch.
2. Next, to your pot add in 2 tbsp of salt and turn the stove to high, to get to a rolling boil.
3. After the potatoes have been boiling for 7 minutes, start checking their softness, for me this only took 10 total minutes, but the time will depend on how small you diced the potatoes. The smaller the dice the quicker they will cook!
4. Once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and drain them through a colander.
5. Once drained, put the potatoes back into the cooking pot, the eye of the stove should be off because we are no longer cooking, just mixing.
6. Add in the cream cheese, milk, cream, butter, 3 tsp salt, and black pepper.
7. Mash the hot potatoes with a potato masher, allow all of the ingredients to melt together, and mix as you mash. (Place in a serving dish if desired.)
8. Serve hot with GIBLET GRAVY and enjoy!
NOTE: If you are making this dish ahead of time, add in an extra ½ cup of milk and place them in a baking dish in the fridge until ready to reheat. Reheat at 350 F covered for 30-45 minutes.
Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp + 3 tsp granulated salt
- 5 lbs potatoes, approximately 1.5” cubes
- 4 tbsp cream cheese
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- ½ cup cream
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1½ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
1.Firstly, add your 5 lbs of potatoes to a large pot and cover them with water by at least an inch.
2. Next, to your pot add in 2 tbsp of salt and turn the stove to high, to get to a rolling boil.
3. After the potatoes have been boiling for 7 minutes, start checking their softness. For me this only took 10 total minutes, but the time will depend on how small you diced the potatoes. The smaller the dice the quicker they will cook!
4. Once the potatoes are soft, turn off the heat and drain them through a colander.
5. Once drained, put the potatoes back into the cooking pot, the eye of the stove should be off because we are no longer cooking, just mixing.
6. Add in the cream cheese, milk, cream, butter, 3 tsp salt, and black pepper.
7. Mash the hot potatoes with a potato masher and allow all of the ingredients to melt together and mix, as you mash. (Place in a serving dish if desired.)
8. Serve hot with GIBLET GRAVY and enjoy!
Notes
If you are making this dish ahead of time, add in an extra ½ cup of milk and place them in a baking dish in the fridge until ready to reheat. Reheat at 350 F covered for 30-45 minutes.
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