make ahead creamy mashed potatoes

Here's another tested and approved recipe for something else you can make ahead of time if you're cooking a big dinner. The recipe had most of the ingredients I use to make mashed potatoes on any ol' day...you know, cream cheese, butter, milk...all the goodies, and I was stoked to find out they were good even made a day in advance too. I love that. Especially with two young ones in the house. Anything I can do ahead is always, always my friend. Although I will say, my short-little-nap-taker-of-a-baby took no short of miraculous, LONG naps while I was cooking Thanksgiving dinner, so really, I can't complain. He sure knows how to show his momma some love.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman (yes, I know, I've been making a ton of her recipes lately. Once you try them, though, you'll know why.)

5 pounds russet potatoes
3/4 cup butter, plus a little more...
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (maybe, make that, probably, more) milk
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Peel and cut potatoes into roughly the same size. Put them all in a big pot and cover potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes or so, until they are fork tender.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander and then put them back in the same pot you cooked them in and back on the stove. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape.

Add the butter, cream cheese, and milk to the potatoes and mash til your heart's content. Next, add the seasoned salt and pepper and stir to combine. Taste and add more of whatever you think it's missing. I ended up adding more butter and milk and could have probably added more cream cheese too, if I'd have had some. Make sure they're just the way you like 'em.

Put the perfect mashed potatoes into a medium baking dish and put a couple small pats of butter on top. (Because we don't have enough butter already.) :-)

Now, you can either bake them in a 350 degree oven now until the butter is melted and the potatoes are warm or you can cover them and stick 'em in the fridge to eat the next day.

If you put the potatoes in the fridge, make sure you take them out of there about 2 to 3 hours before serving time and place on the counter. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until warmed through.