Mashed Potatoes — Too Good for Tuesday Night!
Posted in Food Allergy Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Healthy Eating, Vegan Recipes by Lucy
In fact, this is one of my favorite recipes. A dear friend of mine provided the basic idea and I made it without milk for our family. I love these potatoes any night of the week, and really get a kick out of serving them to guests or as a potluck party dish.
One of the great things about this recipe is that it is better if made ahead. This allows the flavors to bloom. And, for entertaining, the make-ahead feature is a true help with planning. I’m making them today for a Saturday night party.
Because these need to sit in the fridge at least a while before baking, make sure you use a baking dish that can tolerate the relatively quick temperature change from refrigerator to preheated oven. Ha! I cracked one of my favorites on the path to learning this lesson.
The leftovers are wonderful too! If you happen to have any! Just warm them up in the casserole dish, or make potato cakes for a change.
The recipe as written below is vegan. Dairy milk substitutions work well also!
- 9 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes when available.)
- 8 ounces of vegan cream cheese
- 8 ounces of vegan sour cream
- 3 tablespoons vegan margarine
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder (Try more if you are really bold!)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt for seasoning, plus 2 more for boiling the potatoes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- For a garnish, fresh chopped scallions
(These quantities are essentially suggestions. Add more or less to your liking!)
Use a large pot for cooking the potatoes. Add lots of cold water and about 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil and then add potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not mushy. When cooking is complete, drain the potatoes thoroughly.
Now use a heavy duty mixer with a regular mixing paddle to combine potatoes with all other ingredients. Mix well, until smooth and fluffy. (If you don’t have a mixer, an old fashioned potato masher will work.)
Lightly grease a baking dish and arrange your potatoes for baking. I like to use a spatula so I can carve nice fluffs and peaks for a beautiful presentation on baking day. Remember to choose a dish that can tolerate the temperature change from refrigerator to oven. Now, cover and refrigerate for roughly a day, or at least a few hours. If you don’t have time to do this step, it’s ok just to move on with the recipe, but the results are better if you “make ahead”.
When you are ready to bake the potatoes, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop the fresh scallions into very small bits and allow them to drain and air dry so they are not soggy when you add them as a topping. Bake the potatoes for about 10 to 15 minutes and then add the green garnish. Bake for 20 or more minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving. The potatoes and their topping should have a beautiful lightly browned look.
Enjoy this yummy side dish, and all the compliments from your guests!
I make mashed potatoes in a similar way using rice milk and olive oil (there is no diary & soy free sour cream / cream cheese) but I love the idea of re-baking. So often the one or two extra steps make allergen free dishes more interesting.
I’m not big into scallions, but think they sound like they work!