What To Add To Mashed Potato Casserole For Extra Creaminess

It's a truth universally acknowledged that pretty much every carb-lover is an absolute fiend for mashed potatoes. Rivaling only macaroni and cheese for first place in the ranking of American comfort foods, mashed potatoes encompass all the best qualities of feel-good fare. They're creamy, salty, warm, and incredibly versatile. You can enjoy them plain with butter and salt, or make them even more delicious by mixing up some super bacon-y mashed potatoes or loading them up with cheddar cheese.

Possibly their only flaw is that the leftovers are never quite as beautiful and fluffy as mash right off the stove, which is where mashed potato casserole comes into play. This casserole has all the same delicious qualities of traditional mashed potatoes, except the mash is transferred to a casserole dish and baked to create a crisp crust over a bed of absolutely dreamy mash. This means you can make your mashed potatoes ahead of time over the holidays without worrying about ruining everyone's favorite side dish.

Of course, cooking your potatoes twice always runs the risk of them drying out, which is why it's important — which can technically be achieved with butter and cream alone, but the addition of tangy cream cheese brings the richness of liquid cream and the fatty, lush texture of butter all in one. Since adding cream cheese is one of those easy ways to take your mashed potatoes to the next level, it makes sense that it would also protect the texture and flavor of this casserole.

Since mashed potato casserole is technically cooked twice, you'll find most recipes call for more liquid and fat than a typical batch of mashed potatoes to ensure the potatoes underneath the gorgeous brown crust retain their fluffy richness and add flavor. The general rule is to err on the side of caution by using a full 8 ounces of cream cheese for about 3 pounds of whole potatoes. This is in addition to a full stick of butter, 1 cup or so of whole milk, and about ½ cup of sour cream, which amps up the flavor even more.

You can also discover your own favorite ratio by simply starting with about ¼ cup of each type of dairy and mixing until you get the right consistency. To avoid overmixing, allow your cream cheese, butter, etc., to melt into the potatoes slightly before mixing. You'll also want to use warm cream and softened, room-temperature butter and cream cheese. Adding cold ingredients to hot potatoes can cause them to seize and become gummy, resulting in a flat and underwhelming casserole.

Once you've mastered making this casserole, you may never go back to traditional mashed potatoes. Not only is it ridiculously easy to turn it into a loaded baked potato style masterpiece with cheddar cheese, chives, and bacon, it's delicious served with everything from roasted fish to grilled chicken. It can even serve as a hearty foundation for a bowl of spicy slow cooker beef chili.