Hello & Happy Sunday, Everyone!
I can’t believe Thanksgiving is coming up. I feel like I can’t keep up with the time this year. Does anyone else feel this way? A couple months ago I was on the beach laying out, and now all of the stores are filled with Christmas decorations. Dear time, slow down for a minute. Would ya!?
The good thing about time going fast is that all of my favorite Holidays are coming up. I live for Christmas and Thanksgiving! The older I get, the more I appreciate Thanksgiving. As a kid, I did not care for Thanksgiving food. Turkey, mashed potatoes, pie, and green bean casserole didn’t stand a chance next to Kraft macaroni and cheese, pizza rolls, or Cosmic brownies. Now that I finally have a normal working tastebuds, I live for the Thanksgiving food and I have so much fun making it. The best part about Thanksgiving was playing with my cousins and seeing the family together.
I asked all of you what your favorite Thanksgiving dish was in a post last week. Most of you said “Mashed Potatoes,” so decided to share one of my favorite mashed potato recipes. This is DEFINITELY not a healthy version, but if you are looking for a healthy version, you can find it here. This recipe is more for putting all of the other dishes to shame (just incase you come from a competitive household.)
After trying this recipe, mashed potatoes will never be the same for you. I promise.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 Pounds Red Baby Potatoes
- 1 Pound Gold Baby Potatoes
- 4 Ounces Thick Cut Bacon (4-5 Slices)
- 1 1/2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 3/4 Cup Butter
- 1 Cup Sour Cream
- 1/3 Cup Fresh Chopped Chives
- 3 Tablespoons Milk
- 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt (Plus extra for boiling)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
Bring a pot of water with a teaspoon of salt to a boil and add in the baby potatoes. Cook the potatoes for about fifteen to twenty minutes. They should be fork tender, but not too soft. Heat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and add the bacon. You can use a rack or lay the bacon directly on the tin foil.
Bake until the bacon is super crisp! *Baking bacon is the BEST way to cook it in my opinion. While the potatoes are boiling, chop the chives. *I always do a “test mash” before removing the potatoes from the water. I mash a couple potatoes to make sure they’re ready to go! If they put up too much of a fight, let them boil a little longer. They should be fork tender, but also a bit firm. After draining the potatoes, add them to a giant mixing bowl with the butter and sour cream. Add the milk by the tablespoon gradually to make the mashing and sitrring process easier. I like to add more of the milk when I’m mixing in the seasonings. Mash the potatoes until they are somewhat chunky and somewhat creamy. Mix in the chives. Add the salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and remainder of the milk. Use a fork to test the potatoes. Determine if they need anymore seasoning, sour cream, or butter! Don’t be afraid to flavor it up 🙂 Mix in the cheese 1/4 of a cup at a time. You don’t want it to clump up together. Break up the crispy bacon and mix it in. Don’t worry about dabbing any of the grease off the bacon because that gives the potatoes more flavor. I’m all about a flavorful dish! Top with chives, cheese, and butter for a fancy look 😉 & enjoy!
Questions For You:
- What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
- What do you enjoy cooking on Thanksgiving?
- Will you be traveling this year?
Melissa says
Those potatoes look delicious and I’m vegetarian!
1. My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is eating a plate of leftovers after everyone has left while watching a movie! : )
2. Roasted sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts with maple syrup and balsamic vinegar.
3. Nope, most of my family lives nearby so I usually stay local.
Taralynn McNitt says
You can for sure make them vegetarian! :)*almond milk, melt, vegetarian cheese, vegetarian bacon, and coconut milk yogurt? Could be fun to try:)
I’m a sucker for leftovers too!
Ahhhhh love the brussels:)
That must be nice having everyone close together:) Makes holidays easier!
Katie says
VEGETARIAN. Not vegan. Cheese is not an animal. Thanks
Alena says
My favorite Thanksgivig tradition is just being with family. It’s always nice to spend time with the ones you love who you don’t see often. I enjoy cooking mac and cheese. It’s such a good hearty dish – I can never get enough! My fiances birthday lies on Thanksgiving this year so we’re headed to his families house, about an hour away so not too big of a travel. Are you traveling? Xox
Taralynn McNitt says
I think being with family is the best part for sure:)
You can never go wrong with mac & cheese!
Looks like you get to have two celebrations this year 🙂 Happy birthday to your fiancé!
I’ll actually be going to Kyle’s family in Florida this year! 🙂 exciting:)
Brooklyn says
Yup, I definitely said mashed potatoes!
This is EXACTLY what I want to eat right now. YUM!
I cannot wait to have some mashed potatoes at Christmas. My boyfriend doesn’t like them and I won’t eat a lot, so there isn’t much use in making some just for me to have a few spoonfuls.
Yum yum yum!
http://www.justbeingbrooklyn.com
Taralynn McNitt says
Hahaha! I think you’ll LOVE these 🙂
You could actually make single servings of mashed potatoes:) I can’t believe your boyfriend doesn’t like mashed potatoes…is he human!?!
xo
Brooklyn says
Haha I sometimes wonder if he is! I have never met anyone besides him who doesn’t love them!
Harriet Adlam says
The mashed potatoes look so amazing, definitely going to make them. Plus you could add so many different ingredients, the possibilities are endless..
We don’t celebrate thanksgiving in New Zealand, but every year just before Christmas we have all our friends around for a massive dinner party (like friends giving) plus it’s summer here over Christmas so sometimes on a hot day we will all head to the lake and have a picnic
The one thing I make every year for our dinner party is pumpkin fruit cake, it’s so good, and low in sugar and fat and diabetic friendly ?.
This year I have decided to travel more of my own country, as I want to explore my back yard, and get to know my home country a bit more.
Taralynn McNitt says
Hi Harriet!
I totally agree. Mashed potatoes are so fun to play with and you really can add anything you want to them!
I forgot that it’s summer over there! That massive dinner party sounds like a blast though:) Does it feel weird celebrating Christmas in the warmer temps? When I lived in Hawaii, it was so strange!
Pumpkin fruit cake? YUM!!!!
Love that you’re going to travel your own country! I think that’s important:)
Hope you have a great week! xo
Jen H. says
1. First of all….Thanksgiving is my absolute, hands down, most favorite, favorite, favorite holiday ever!!!! I LOVE to cook so this holiday was made for me. My tradition is to spend hours in the kitchen getting all the food ready. There is no better joy than my family sitting down to a dinner made by you….especially when they rave about how good all the food is 🙂
2. There is a sweet potato casserole recipe from Ree Drummond that is to die for. It has brown sugar, and butter, and pecans, and truthfully….it just doesnt get much better than that! I look forward to it every year and I won’t be ashamed to say I get 2nds and 3rd of it. Its just THAT good.
3. I will not be traveling this year. I will be hosting. We will have Thanksgiving at my house this year. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
XOXO Jen
Taralynn McNitt says
Hi Jen!
Love your enthusiasm! 🙂 I bet your family appreciates you for cooking everything and I bet it tastes amazing!
OK…REE DRUMMOND…she’s not real. EVERYTHING of hers tastes like heaven! I love her show:) I need to try her sweet potato casserole.
Thanksgiving at your house will be exciting!!:) Kyle and I will actually be packing up the pups and heading to Florida for Thanksgiving with his family!:)
Linda @ The Fitty says
Is it nessesary to buy two different kinds of potatoes if they’re going to be mashed together anyway? I don’t eat potatoes or starch, but I’m curious if red potatoes have a different taste than yellow/white. Last time I checked, I think they tasted the same. 🙂
But I’m all for the butter and bacon on top!
Taralynn McNitt says
It’s not necessary at all, you can use any kind of potato you want. 🙂
Rebecca says
We make something similar on occasion but add two eggs, out in a casserole dish, and bake. Gives it a soufflé like top and a warm gooey inside. Thanks for the recipe! Love your blog and have been reading for years.
Taralynn McNitt says
Oh yum!!!I love the idea of a soufflé top 🙂
& thank you for the kind words about my blog! Means so much!
Jennifer says
Mashed potatoes are in my top 5 favorite foods so… thanks for this! I can’t wait to try them!
The only tradition that my family really has is we ALWAYS have to have green bean casserole, creamed corn, and mashed potatoes made the exact same way every year! Haha we switch up how we make the turkey and stuffing and usually do something different every year! Until we find a winner that is…
I’m always on mashed potato duty! Haha I might actually make these and switch things up this year!
Nope! I’ll be staying put 🙂 I can’t wait to hear about Florida!
Taralynn McNitt says
You’re welcome! & I hope you enjoy them.
Green bean casserole scares me because it has cream of mushroom in it. I KNOW it tastes good because I’ve tried it, but the cream of mushroom thing just gets in my head. I’m such a weirdo when it comes to mushrooms! I always bring the sweet green beans. My dad always makes the turkey and my mom makes the stuffing and it’s amazing! We haven’t really don’t a Thanksgiving together in YEARS, so they alway make extra so I can have leftovers. My parents go to my brothers for thanksgiving (and they are vegetarians, so it’s interesting)
You should definitely try these ones then!! :P)
I can’t wait for Thanksgiving this year!!
xo
Shayna says
You can always replace the cream of mushroom soup for cream of chicken, it’s not exactly the same but the effect is similar! My boyfriend doesn’t eat mushrooms either so I substitute it for him every year, it’s delicious!
Taralynn McNitt says
Thanks so much! I am going to do that !
Jane says
I made these for dinner last night and they were outstanding! I’m going to make them for Thanksgiving too.
Taralynn McNitt says
So happy to hear that!!:)
Lesli says
I made these vegan! They are so yummy 🙂
Haley says
These look awesome!
Peter says
Hell yes. These are great.
penny says
so bomb
Angel says
Tara – do you think these would freeze and reheat well? Maybe if I made the potatoes, mashed them, froze them, and then heated them in the oven and mixed in the rest of the ingredients day-of? We’re camping right up until the day of Thanksgiving so I’m trying to find ways to make my dishes ahead of time!
Taralynn McNitt says
You can definitely make these, freeze, and reheat! I’ve done it 🙂
Jillian says
Any suggestions for reheating? Oven heat/time or Microwave….. We have a 2-4 hour car ride for our family holidays and its always hard coming up with things to bring that travel well!!!