Preparing Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes in Advance

1. To begin, peel potatoes and cut them into halves or quarter pieces. Add all of them to a large stock pot and fill the pot with water until the potatoes are fully submerged.
2. On the stovetop, boil the potatoes on a medium-high heat setting until the potatoes are softened. The way to just their softness is to prick/spear them with a fork. When the fork easily glides into them with little effort, they are cooked through and ready to be used!
3. Next, drain all the water from the potatoes using a kitchen strainer. Then, carefully transfer the steaming, hot potatoes to a large mixing bowl.
4. Now, mash the potatoes! I use the beater on my kitchen aid mixer for this. This can also be done by hand with a potato masher or using your own, preferred method. My method for mashing: Begin mashing the potatoes on a low speed and gradually increase it just until most of the lumps have disappeared. Then, immediately turn off the mixer. Try not to over mix, as beating them too long overworks and breaks down the potatoes' starch which leads to goopy potatoes. Nobody wants that.
5. Next, add the melted butter, sour cream, and cream cheese and mix them into the potatoes until well combined.
6. Add the seasonings (dried minced onion, salt, and pepper. Then, add in the two cups of milk. A few tips: If using an electric mixer, I recommend slowly adding about half a cup at a time while mixing at a low speed. This keeps the milk from splashing out as it incorporates into the mashed potatoes. Once again, try not to over mix.
7. Scoop the mashed potatoes from the mixing bowl into an appropriate sized, oven safe baking dish. (A 9×13 baking dish or any baking dish that holds a similar volume will do nicely!)
8. Cover and refrigerate for 6 - 48 hrs.

Heating and Serving Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

• When ready to prepare them for serving, remove them from the refrigerator, cover with foil or oven safe lid, and bake at 350° Fahrenheit for 1 hour. Top with 4 oz of butter (cut into 6 to 8 slices spread out over the top) when baking or wait until after the mashed potatoes are baked. Then, melt the butter and pour over the top before serving.
• You can serve these make ahead mashed potatoes in the baking dish straight from the oven or transfer them into your favorite, easily passed around, serving bowl.

Serve and Enjoy!