The Best Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

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These are the very best Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, they are the perfect combination of creamy and cheesy. 

Mashed potatoes are the most popular Thanksgiving side dish. They are the one thing that everyone puts on their plate – which means that you need an exceptional recipe. This is a recipe that your dinner guests are going to love.

Want to know my secret? I add cream cheese, sour cream, and a touch of cheddar cheese to my mashed potatoes. It results in mashed potatoes with the perfect taste and consistency. 

I use reduced-fat cream cheese and sour cream – and no one can taste the difference. I know that Thanksgiving is no time to be counting calories – but I think that the reduced-fat ingredients are better in this recipe since they give the potatoes a fluffier consistency.

I think that Thanksgiving leftovers are just as wonderful as Thanksgiving. I love to make sandwiches with turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole. That might sound like an aggressive number of toppings for a sandwich, but I think it’s perfect and I look forward to these sandwiches just as much as Thanksgiving dinner itself.

These mashed potatoes can be made in advance, but if you choose to make them in advance, add some extra sour cream. The potatoes dry out significantly when they sit overnight, and the trick to having light creamy mashed potatoes when you heat them up the next day is to go overboard on the sour cream. What seems like way too much will actually end up being the perfect amount after the potatoes sit overnight and get reheated in the oven.

If oven space is at a premium, I have had success reheating mashed potatoes using a grill or crockpot. If you are going to reheat potatoes on the grill just put them in an aluminum pan and stir them occasionally so that they reheat evenly. Or, pour the potatoes into a crockpot and set it on low heat.

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The Best Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes:

The Best Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 15 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

These rich, creamy, and cheesy mashed potatoes are the perfect Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. The secret ingredients are cream cheese and sour cream, and this recipe can be made a day or two in advance - giving you one less thing to do on Thanksgiving day.

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Ingredients

• 5 pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 2 tablespoons Butter
• about 2 cups (15 ounces) of Light Sour Cream
• 8 ounces Reduced Fat Cream Cheese
• 4 ounces Cheddar Cheese
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pepper

Instructions

Peel the potatoes. Chop into cubes and boil until tender. This will take about 20 minutes.

Drain potatoes and return to pot or place in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add butter, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, 1 cup sour cream, salt and pepper to the potatoes. Mix and mash either with a mixer or a hand masher. If you use a mixer the potatoes will be smooth and creamy, if you mash by hand the potatoes will be chunkier.

Taste test, and add more salt and pepper as necessary. If you are making these a day ahead, add in extra sour cream, sometimes I use the entire 15-ounce package. You want to add too much sour cream, the potatoes dry out as they sit and reheat.

Place in a buttered casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350-400 degrees. The temperature can vary depending on the temperature needed for whatever else is in the oven - it's hard to burn potatoes, and I love when the sides and bottom of the potatoes turn crispy and brown. Bake until crispy on the bottom on edges - this takes about 30 minutes if you are putting the potatoes in the oven right away and about an hour if you are reheating the potatoes.

This recipe can be made a day or two ahead and reheated.

Notes

Can be made a day or two in advance.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 410mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 7g

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More Thanksgiving Side Dishes:

Green Bean Casserole

A classic green bean casserole that is easy to prepare and can be made a day in advance.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This cranberry sauce is made with whole cranberries, and is easier to make than you might expect!

Thanksgiving Corn

This corn is creamy, cheesy, and slightly spicy. 

Butternut Squash and Stuffing

This stuffing is made with butternut squash, kale, and mushrooms. You could even add sausage.