Baked Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

I have found my inspiration this week!  And who isn’t inspired by mashed potatoes!  This recipe offers a unique twist on my kids favorite dish.  It’s made with lots of gooey cheese , tons of butter, milk and a secret ingredient!  Of course this isn’t a dish for those counting calories but sometimes it’s a good idea to put away the calorie counter and indulge!  And this dish is worth it!

Start with the big ingredients….Russet Potatoes, Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter, milk and bread crumbs.

After washing and peeling your potatoes, cut them into 1-inch pieces.  The smaller the pieces, the faster it will cook.  I used 5 medium size potatoes.  Cook the potatoes in boiling water with a pinch of salt.  It should take about 15 minutes.

You will need to grate the Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese.   Most of the cheese will get mixed into the mashed potatoes.  Save about 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese for the top.

Mix the leftover Parmesan cheese with 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs.  I used Italian bread crumbs but plain will work too.  In the meantime, melt a stick of butter and measure a cup of whole milk.

After draining the potatoes, put in a mixing bowl and combine the potatoes, melted butter and milk.  Mix until the potatoes are mashed.

Add the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese into the mashed potatoes along with some salt and pepper for taste.  I folded in the cheese rather than using the mixer.  This way it doesn’t dissolve completely.

Pour the mashed potatoes into a greased baking dish.  Use a tablespoon of butter to grease the dish.   Then cover the top with the Parmesan and bread crumbs mixture.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

You want the top to brown like this.  It adds a nice flavor and crunch to your mashed potatoes.

Inside the gooey cheese adds great flavor to the mashed potatoes.  Serve hot with beef, chicken or turkey.

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Baked Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 pounds Russet Potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tablespoons dry Bread Crumbs
• 1 stick Butter melted
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 1 tablespoon butter for greasing baking dish
• Salt and Black Pepper for taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Coat baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter
3. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water for 15 minutes or until very tender
4. Drain water, transfer to mixing bowl
5. Add milk and melted butter and mix together
6. Mix in the Mozzarella cheese and 3/4 Parmesan Cheese
7. Season with salt & pepper
8. Pour mashed pototatoes into greased baking dish
9. Mix bread crumbs and remaining Parmesan Cheese together, add to top of mashed potatoes
10. Bake, uncovered in oven for 20 minutes
11. Serve hot

Recipe Notes

This is one of my favorite recipes from Giada. She always has great recipes. I used Italian bread crumbs but you can use plain bread crumbs too. You can also make this ahead of time and before you put it in the oven, cover and refrigerate.