It's really fun to make mashed potatoes without following any sort of recipe. Once the potatoes are cooked and the mashing commences, I’ve been known to throw in a multitude of random ingredients, ranging from garlic to Dijon mustard to horseradish to sour cream to various cheeses to kale to well,…whatever, really. And it always turns out awesome. (I think a bit of embellishment is the way to go!)
I love this recipe. You can make it the day before and cook it (Step 6) before your Thanksgiving meal. And, I really like the addition of two different types of fried onions: red on the bottom, shallots on the top. It’s a really awesome dish.
Assemble the ingredients!
16 T. (2 sticks) butter
5 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks (no need to peel)
Vegetable oil
4 shallots, sliced thinly into rings
½ large red onion, sliced into thin slices
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. heavy cream
1 t. seasoned salt
½ t. kosher salt
1 t. ground black pepper
Put it all together!
1. Generously butter a large baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Continue boiling and cooking until tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Heat ½ inch of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the shallots until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Remove the shallots with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat the process with the red onion slices.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Drain the potatoes in a large colander. Place the potatoes back into the pot and mash with a hand masher. Add 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) of the butter, the cream cheese, heavy cream, seasoned salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Using hand beaters, mix until smooth and creamy.
5. Spread the fried red onion slices over the bottom of the greased baking dish. Cover with the mashed potatoes. Cover the potatoes with the fried shallots.
6. Cut the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into thin slices and sprinkle over the top of the potatoes. Bake until the butter is melted and the potatoes are warmed, about 20 minutes.
7. Serve with gravy, if you wish, but they are so good you don’t need it!
ENJOY!