Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

One of my favorite foods *in the world* is a big loaded baked potato! Mmmmm, I am drooling a little bit just thinking about it. My family has trouble making a meal out of a loaded baked potato, so I get around that by making this soup that I posted a while ago on Mothers of Invention - also super yummy! Now, I found another loaded baked potato recipe that has another great benefit - it can be made ahead of time and reheated, or even frozen.  I enjoyed this dish just as much defrosted and reheated after a month in the freezer as I did the first time I made it, which is good, because the recipe makes A. LOT.

Doesn't that look amazing? I will warn you - I do not do low fat anything, and this recipe proves that quite well. You could probably substitute low fat varieties of these ingredients and lighten this recipe up if you desired, but I cannot say if it would change the final product!

To see the original recipe from Taste of Home, click here.  The nutrition information is also listed at the bottom, but I might recommend ignoring that part... :)

Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

• 3 lbs. potatoes (about 9 sm - med), peeled and cubed
• 1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 6 bacon strips, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped

Boil potatoes until they are tender, then drain and mash them with cream cheese, sour cream and butter.  Add milk and seasonings.

Cook bacon (my favorite method is in the oven) and once it is cooled, chop the bacon into small pieces.

Transfer potato mixture to a 13X9 inch baking dish and sprinkle with cheese, onions, and bacon.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, or bake imediately. If you have refrigerated this, you'll want to remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before baking to allow it to come to room temperature.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 fro 40-50 minutes, or until heated through.