Mashed Potato Casserole
This is an outrageously delicious yet highly practical way to make mashed potato ahead of time! A layer of cheese and bacon prevents the creamy mash from drying out as it reheats in the oven, while transforming this humble side into something extra-devilish and decadent. Oh the power of cheese (plus bacon)!
Ingredients
- 1.75kg potatoes Sebago (Aus, Russet (US), Maris Piper / King Edwards (UK)
- 1 tbsp cooking / kosher salt for cooking potatoes
- ⅔ Cups milk preferably full fat/whole milk but lite ok
- ⅔ Cubs EXTRA milk for make-ahead option only
- 75 g unsalted butter cut into 1cm / 1/2″ cubes
- ½ ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt, full fat best
- 1 ▢ 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt or to taste
- 1½ ▢ 1 1/2 cups tightly packed mozzarella , freshly shredded (Note 3)
- 1 cup ▢ 1 cup tightly packed Red Leicester, cheddar or other flavoured cheese(Note 3)
- 200 g ▢ 200g / 6 oz bacon streaky, chopped (Note 4)
- ¼ ▢ 1/4 cup green onion finely sliced
Instructions
- COOK BACON:
- Place bacon in a cold non-stick pan over medium heat (no oil). As the pan heats up the bacon fat will melt. Once you see some melted bacon fat, turn the heat up to medium high and stir for 3 minute or until golden.
- Drain on paper towels.
- MASH:
- Potatoes – Peel then cut into 3cm /1" chunks.
- Boil – Place in a large pot and cover with water so it’s 10cm / 4” above the potatoes. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat so it’s simmering rapidly. Cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are very soft (jab with fork to test, they should fall apart).
- Drain well, then return into pot. Leave for 1 minute, shaking pot every now and then, to encourage evaporation of water.
- Mash – Add milk (including EXTRA milk if making-ahead), butter, sour cream and 1 tsp salt. Mash until smooth. (Do not use food processor, blender or beater, makes it gluey!)
- MAKE-AHEAD DIRECTIONS:
- Fridge – Allow to fully cool on the counter then cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate.
- Dechill – Take out onto counter 2 hours prior to reheating.
- ASSEMBLE:
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan).
- Spread the potato in a 2 litre / 2 quart baking dish (Note 5). Smooth the surface.
- Sprinkle – Sprinkle potato with the cheeses, then bacon.
- Bake covered – Cover loosely with foil. Bake for 20 minutes covered (if freshly made) or 35 minutes (make-ahead option).
- Bake uncovered – Remove foil then bake a further 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Serve – Sprinkle with green onion then serve! It stays warm for a good 20 minutes thanks to that protective layer of cheese. Oh, the powers of cheese!
Notes
1. Potatoes – Any starchy or all-rounder potatoes suitable for making mash will work great.
2. Extra milk for make-ahead option makes the mash looser to factor in that mash firms up when refrigerated. This is the amount required so that the reheated dish ends up with the same consistency as when it was freshly made!
3. Cheeses – Mozzarella for excellent melting qualities, plus Red Leicester or US cheddar for colour and flavour (sub with other cheese of choice like colby, gruyere, Swiss, tasty).
SHRED YOUR OWN for the best result! Store-bought pre-shredded is coated with anti-caking agents so it doesn’t melt as well.
PACK your cups tightly when measuring shredded cheese, else you’ll be short. And nobody wants to be short on cheese, ever!
4. Bacon – You need to use streaky/fatty bacon to use this no-oil method of cooking bacon. If you use lean bacon, you will need to preheat oil. I know which option I prefer!
5. Dish – A 2 litre / 2 quart baking dish is the ideal size, it will be filled to the brim. A 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13″ dish (3L/3 qt) works fine too – will be filled about 2/3 of the way up.
6. Make-head – Keeps for 3 days in the fridge, uncooked, fully assembled except for the green onion. Be sure to take it out of the fridge 2 hours prior to reheating to take the chill out of the it so it reheats more evenly.
Freezing – A former team member reported excellent results freezing the assembled dish, thawing then reheating. But I never tried it myself – I will come back and update if (no, when!) I do.
Leftovers will keep for 3 days, but the mash won’t be as creamy. Consider using it to make mashed potato cakes instead!
7. Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings, as part of a larger banquet.
this recipe is sponsored by Mediterranean supermarket