In our house, there are several things that are ALWAYS on hand. Most of those things are what you’ll find in just about any kitchen. Stuff like salt, pepper, butter, onions, etc etc. But in this house, potatoes are a staple and have a permenent place in the pantry. I haven’t tried a spud in a way that I didn’t absolutely love!
My husband gets on to me and my girls because we love them raw just as much as we like them cooked! Rince, peel, dice then sprinkle a little Season All on them and we’re some happy girls!! So when ever I make any kind of potato dish, I always have to peel an extra potato to make sure I have enough. Come to think of it, pretty much any veggie I cut up, I have to cut extra since we can munch on just about any vegetable. No doubt there’s worse things we could be munching on so …..
Now let’s be honest, I can’t seem to think of a more comforting food than mashed potatoes. Well, maybe mac and cheese but we’ll get to that at another time. So tonight we’re going to lay on the comfort really thick!
Normally, I prefer to use a Yukon gold potato but the store had the russets on sale so russets is what we’ll be using today. Either one of those are perfect choices for a fluffy mashed potato dish!
Something to remember is that ANY potato can turn to glue if you over mix them. The more you mess with them, the more likely they will turn and will become virtually a lost cause. So, no over mixing!
First, start off with peeling the potato, dicing them into cubes, rinsing and then placing in a pot of generously salted cold water. They don’t need to be too small of cubes, we’re mashing them up anyways, not making potato salad. And you want to always start off with cold water so that the potato comes to temperature evenly. One thing to note, I’m peeling these because they are russets. I don’t care for the skins since they are thicker than I like. If these were Yukon golds, I’d have left them unpeeled. You can do it either way with whichever potato you choose.
While these come to a boil, I always set my butter and milk in the bowl that I’m going to mix them in and let it come to room temperature. When you add cold butter and milk to the potatoes, it takes longer and more work to incorporate them – raising the risk of turning them to glue! Remember – GLUE = BAD POTATOES!! Once the butter is soft enough to beat with the beater, beat them up. Then whisk them with the milk, sour cream, garlic powder and cayenne. I meant to get a picture of that step but I got sidetracked! So … next time!
Another note about making the perfect mashed potatoes, don’t overcook them! When they get waterlogged, they will turn mushy and become soupy. So be sure to check them regularly. If you’re chunks are bigger than mine pictured, the cook time should be around 18 minutes, the size of mine is about 15 minutes, smaller size (like for a potato salad) should be around 10 minutes. Check them regularly though! When you can stick a fork in them and they slide off easily they should pretty much be done.
Once they have been drained, I normally give them a quick rinse under warm water just to get the excess salt off. Let them drain for a minute and then add the hot potatoes to the butter and milk mixture. I take the beater and smash the potatoes before I starting mixing just to help from over mixing. Then mix the potatoes until an almost smooth consistency. Once you get the texture the way you want it, add about 1/2 of the bacon and all the cheese then stir to combine well.
Pour out your potato mixture into a casserole dish and top with the rest of the bacon. Then bake for about 15 minutes just to heat through.
Twice Baked Potato Bake
Ingredients
- 4-6 potatoes Russet or Yukon Gold
- 1 ½ cups bacon fried, crumbled
- 12 Tbsp butter
- 1 cup 1/2 & 1/2
- 4 oz sour cream
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°
- Wash, peel, and dice potatoes
- Boil potatoes in salted water until just fork tender
- Drain and slightly rinse
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together milk, butter, sour cream, cayenne and garlic powder
- Add in hot potatoes, smash with beater, then mix until almost smooth
- Once to desired texture, fold in cheese and ½ of bacon
- Transfer mixture to a casserole dish then top with remaining bacon.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.