Lucille’s Mashed Potatoes
Total Time
35 minutes (plus optional 30-minute reheat time)
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5 out of 5 stars
(22)
Ingredients
8-12 servings
- 5 pounds Russet potatoes, preferably organic*
- 3 teaspoons salt, divided
- 6 ounces cream cheese (that’s ¾ of one brick)
- 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- Optional garnishes: Finely sliced fresh chives, pat of butter, sprinkle of mild paprika (not the smoked kind) and/or freshly ground black pepper
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Preparation
Step 1
To prepare your potatoes, you can either scrub them clean and leave them unpeeled or rinse and peel them. Then cut the potatoes into even chunks about 2” in size.
Step 2
Place the potato chunks in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt, and enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 to 2 inches.
Step 3
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Continue cooking, reducing the heat as necessary to prevent overflow, until the potatoes are easily pierced through by a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 4
Carefully drain off all of the water and return the potatoes to the pot. Mash the potatoes until they reach your desired consistency.
Step 5
Add the cream cheese, sour cream, butter, the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt, and the onion powder. Stir until everything is mixed together evenly. You can serve the mashed potatoes immediately at this point, with garnishes of your choice.
Step 6
If you’re making these mashed potatoes in advance, transfer them to a casserole dish with a lid. Smooth the top, cover, and store the mashed potatoes for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. To serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the mashed potatoes, covered, until warmed through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with garnishes of your choice.
Step 7
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Chef's notes
Leftover mashed potatoes will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Potatoes are #12 on the Dirty Dozen list, meaning that conventionally grown potatoes are generally high in pesticide residues.
I used full-fat cream cheese and sour cream, but my mom uses reduced fat and I honestly can’t tell the difference.
I haven’t tried, but I think these mashed potatoes would be great with 1 ¾ cups vegan sour cream in place of the sour cream and cream cheese. You can omit the butter or stir in a tablespoon or two of extra-virgin olive oil in its place.
I made these mashed potatoes in my 5.5-quart Dutch oven, which was just big enough, and used my OXO potato masher.
