Raise your hand if you have a lot of picky eaters in your family! ? Then you should consider my 3 Cheese Mashed Potato Casserole.
Being a foodie is hard sometimes, especially when most of your family members are picky eaters. In my perfect world I would create the whole thanksgiving feast by myself, and it would consist of the 5 proper courses with wine pairings and an instructional tasting. I mean why doesn’t everyone want that?! My challenge over the last few years has been to prepare food that my family has maybe not had before, but they are super psyched about trying. Some people would say, “just make what you want! Who cares if they don’t like it?!”
Uh me. That’s who.
I have a reputation to uphold, and if I go home with a casserole dish full of leftover food, I will not be a happy lady.
So, that brings me to todays dish. Who doesn’t LOVE mashed potatoes…and cheese…and bacon? Everyone does, of course. Well, vegans don’t, but we will take care of their needs a different day. The point is, cheesy mashed potato casserole with bacon is the definition of a crowd pleaser and you should make it for Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or Tuesday.
This my friends, is a potato ricer. AKA the best thing that has every happened to you if you like 100% lump-less mashed potatoes. Go get one.
- 5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 4 oz room temp cream cheese
- 1 stick room temp butter
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 cup shredded gouda
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 lb bacon or pancetta, cooked and crumbled for topping
- In a large pot, boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain well. Mash the potatoes however you would like. I prefer pressing them through a potato ricer, as this yields 100% creamy potatoes, but you can also mash with a hand masher or mixer.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Toss together all three cheeses in a medium sized bowl..
- Add cream cheese, butter, milk, salt, pepper, garlic to the hot potatoes, mixing well. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese mixture.
- Pour potatoes into a lightly buttered 9×13 baking dish and top with remaining cheese and bacon.
- Place in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and top with chives, parsley, or green onions. Serve warm.
