Sunday, November 22, 2009

Thanksgiving starts early here

Sometimes, you have to ignore the calendar. Like when old friends and new family visit, giving you an opportunity to give thanks five days before the calendar tells you to. Which is why this year we had our first Thanksgiving on Saturday.

My soon-to-be Mother In Law and Sister In Law made these mashed potatoes (from a recipe by the J.M. Smucker Co. and found in the newspaper) for our turkey feast. And while I usual prefer my potatoes to resemble potatoes and not shredded paper before they are cooked, the add ins here make this a rich and flavorful alternative to my traditional mashed potatoes.

P.S. -- since this is arguably one of the biggest cooking weeks of the year, I'll be posting a collection of Thanksgiving recipes all week.

Make-Ahead Party Mashed Potatoes
(serves 20)
7 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp onion salt
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, cubed and softened
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 16-oz. container sour cream
1 15-oz. package instant mashed potatoes (9 cups)
cooked, crumbled bacon (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 13x9" baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large sauce pan, bring water, butter and salts to a boil. Remove from heat and add cream cheese, evaporated milk and sour cream. Stir until cream cheese is dissolved.
Add potato flakes and stir until combine. Spread mixture in prepared pan. Bake until golden and bubbling around the edges. Top with crumbled bacon.

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