Creamy Mashed Potatoes

I mentioned in my Thanksgiving recap that I forgot to photograph my food on Thanksgiving. I seriously am still recovering from the shock of this! I typically have my camera glued to my hand in the kitchen. Oh well, right? Not much I can do now. Luckily I remembered before I sent home the last of the mashed potatoes left overs. However I didn't have time to take a nice picture so this is the best I can do. They were delicious though- and much more delicious than this picture would lead you to believe.

I found this woman on The Pioneer Woman Cooks. People either love her or hate her. She is hysterical and created delicious (and fattening) recipes. I like her and tend to trust her recipes. This one was no different. I LOVED that it could be make ahead and just reheated on Thanksgiving. That certainly freed up my time on the day of. Just be sure to pull them from the fridge several hours before you heat them. I pulled them out about 2 hours before and they were still so cold which dramatically increased my cook time. This is a definite go to recipe for mashed potatoes- give it a shot!

Source: The Pioneer Woman

ngredients
5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
¾ cups Butter
1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened
½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Directions:

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.
Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash!

Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and either place them in the oven or in the refrigerator. When baking them place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.