Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

Besides turkey, you can't have a thanksgiving meal without mashed potatoes!  I have to admit I was going to just wing it and make mashed potatoes whatever I already had in the fridge.  I did a quick search of mashed potatoes recipes to get some inspiration and saw this one and realized that I had all of the ingredients already so I decided to try it.  I also used russet potatoes instead of red new potatoes and it was totally fine.  

I got so many compliments from this dish and they kept asking what was in it and I told them that it was better off not knowing.  There's a reason why this tastes so creamy and rich, but it's worth the splurge.  

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes 

Ina Garten

Ingredients

3 pounds red new potatoes, unpeeled (I used russet potatoes and you should definitely peel those)

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 2 teaspoons

1 1/2 cups half and half

1/4 pound unsalted unsalted butter

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of salt in a 4-quart saucepan and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until completely tender. Drain.

In a small saucepan, heat the half-and-half and butter. Put the potatoes into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix the potatoes for a few seconds on low speed, to break them up. Slowly add the hot cream and butter to the potatoes, mixing on the lowest speed (the last quarter of the cream should be folded in by hand). Fold in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, the remaining salt, and pepper; taste for seasoning and serve immediately. If the potatoes are too thick, add more hot cream and butter.

One tip to keep these warm while your guests arrive is to make a water bath, otherwise the potatoes might get dry or develop a hard crust.  I put the potatoes in a glass dish and put it in a pot with simmering water about 3/4 of the height of the glass dish.  It kept it just the right temperature until it was ready to be served.