Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes

Weekends and Sundays are the best days for us to have family dinners. We love to have lunch around 12:30 or 1:00. This gives the kids time to go home from church, change clothes and head over for an afternoon of food, fun, and fellowship. Pioneer Woman’s Mashed Potatoes make cooking easy because I can prepare them the night before! They are kid approved and everyone loves them!

Ingredients:

5 lb. russet or Yukon Gold potatoes

3/ 4 c. butter

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened

1/2 to 3/4 cup half-and-half

1/2 to 1 tsp. Lawry's Seasoned Salt

1/2 to 1 tsp. 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. Next, 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 1/2 sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about 1/2 cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about 1/2 teaspoon of Lawry's Seasoning Salt and 1/2 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 place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until the butter is melted and the potatoes are warmed through.

Pro tip: 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 .