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HOW TO KEEP MASHED POTATOES WARM

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YES, YOU CAN make mashed potatoes in advance…read on my friends!

Pot on stove boiling

If you have ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner, I’m sure you have experienced the frenzy of the last hour of cooking.

You have planned the timing of your dishes to a tee, but somehow you still run around the kitchen with your head cut off trying to get everything on the table at the same time.

This year I was determined to figure out how to prepare mashed potatoes ahead of time and keep them warm for up to FOUR HOURS so that the stovetop was free during the last hour of cooking!!

I have read some great recipes on how to cook the mashed potatoes in a crock pot.  This sounded great, but it still took about four hours to cook them, and you had to mash them either by hand in the crock pot, or put them in another bowl to use the hand mixer to keep from getting hot mashed potatoes in your eyeballs.

I personally love a little skin left on my potatoes, but I also want them to be as smooth and creamy as possible. I find using a hand mixer helps me achieve both of these things.  For this recipe, I have opted for making mashed potatoes the old-fashioned way (on the stove top) since it takes much less time.  However, I used the crockpot to keep them warm for up to four hours so your burners and sink have one less thing on them when you are in the home stretch of preparing your meal.

This is also a perfect recipe if you want to prepare mashed potatoes and bring them to your hosts’ home.  The crockpot will keep them warm on a fairly short trip (up to 30 minutes or so) and you can plug it back into an outlet and set it on the buffet table so it’s out of the way!

If you are attached to your way of making mashed potatoes, by all means, make them the way you like them (hopefully with lots of butter, butter, and more butter), and just follow the steps for keeping them warm in the crockpot.  However, if you are looking for some potato inspiration, I have a great recipe too!

My version is for Roasted Garlic and Buttery Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, YUUUUMMMM!!!!  Of course, we have lots of butter, but the roasted garlic adds a hint of sweetness and the cream cheese adds another layer of tang while keeping them rich and creamy.

Roasted garlic

ONE MORE DELICIOUS MASHED POTATO RECIPE

If you can find créme fraiche at the store, you MUST try these Créme Fraiche Mashed Potatoes!  You can sub cream cheese for créme fraiche if you can’t find it.  You can keep these warm in the crockpot too!

Make-ahead Mashed potatoes recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, or if you are roasting a turkey just roast the garlic on whatever temperature the oven is set for. Cut the tops off of two bulbs of garlic and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Wrap them in aluminum foil and roast for 35-45 minutes or until they are soft.   While the garlic is roasting, skin and dice your potatoes to equal portions.

You can add your potatoes straight to the cold water in a large stock pot to keep them from browning while you are finishing the rest.  I have even kept them in the water for a couple of hours before boiling.  Boil your potatoes until they are fork-tender and place in a large bowl.

Cooked potatoes steaming

Squeeze out the roasted garlic and mash with a fork.  Add the softened butter, cream cheese, garlic and puree with a hand mixer.  Add cream or milk and season with salt and puree again.  Now liberally butter the inside of a crock pot and add your mashed potatoes.

Crock pot buttered

Mashed potatoes warming in the crockpot

Drizzle some vegetable or chicken broth around the edges of the potatoes to keep them moist and help create a bit of steam inside the crockpot.  Top with a little more butter and seal the crock pot.  Set the crockpot to “WARM” and walk away!!!

how to host an epic Thanksgiving dinner

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  • Warm Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
  • Sourdough Garlic Rosemary Rolls
  • Epic Duck Fat Roasted Turkey (you’re here!)
  • How to Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm (YES you CAN keep them warm and buttery and soft up to 4 hours in advance!)
  • Southern Cornbread Stuffing/Dressing
  • 15-minute Cranberry Clementine Sauce
  • Perfect Pie Crust
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  • Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust ( Recipe & Video)
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Crock pot

Creme fraiche mashed potatoes recipe is creamy, tangy, and delicious!

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Bon appetit ya’ll,

Leslie O.

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mashed potatoes crock pot

How to Keep Mashed Potatoes Warm

Learn how to make roasted garlic buttery cream cheese mashed potatoes and how to keep them warm for up to FOUR HOURS!
Course sides
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 -8

Ingredients

  • 5 pounds Russet potatoes most of the skins removed and chopped in equal size pieces
  • 2 whole bulbs garlic
  • 6 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2 sticks butter 16 Tbsp (227 grams)
  • 1 1/2--2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
  • 1/4 cup or so chicken or vegetable broth

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
  2. Cut the tops off of 2 bulbs of garlic. Place them in aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper and olive oil. Wrap tightly and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the garlic is soft and easily squeezes out of the bulb.
  3. Meanwhile set out the butter and cream cheese to let it come to room temp.
  4. Skin the potatoes, leaving a little skin intact (if desired) and cut into equal size chunks.
  5. Place the potatoes into a large pot filled with cold salted water.
  6. Heat on high and boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain in a colander and place in a large bowl.
  7. Squeeze out the garlic and mash with a fork. Add to the potatoes.
  8. Add the butter and cream cheese and mix with a hand mixer until nice and smooth. Season with salt.
  9. Butter the inside of a crock pot and add the mashed potatoes. Top with a pad of butter and add about 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth around the rim of the potatoes to keep them moist and create steam inside the crock pot.
  10. Seal the crock pot with the lid and turn it on to the "Warm" setting. Keep warm for up to four hours.

How to keep mashed potatoes warm in the crockpot, slow cooker, or Instant Pot #mashedpotatoesrecipe #mashedpotatoeswithcreamcheese #mashedpotatoesslowcooker #mashedpotatoesinstantpot

 

 

 

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Categories: Entertaining Tags: crock pot, giveaway, mashed potatoes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lindsey | Lou Lou Biscuit says

    November 11, 2015 at 18:21 pm

    Nice. I LOVE garlicky mashed potatoes! What a clever way to keep them warm! Yet another reason to love the crock pot.

    Isn’t this giveaway fun? Everyone is posting delicious recipes and it’s making me hungry!!

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 12, 2015 at 01:51 am

      Gotta love the crock pot! Yes, this giveaway is so fun. I need to visit all the blogs and cheer them on too:)

      Reply
  2. Beth says

    November 11, 2015 at 20:02 pm

    This is a great idea!

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 12, 2015 at 01:51 am

      Thanks Beth!

      Reply
  3. Erin Williams says

    November 11, 2015 at 20:16 pm

    love the idea of butter around the sides of the crockpot! yum!

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 12, 2015 at 01:53 am

      You can never have too much butter in mashed potatoes right? It definitely helps keep them from crusting around the edges.

      Reply
  4. Shawna says

    November 11, 2015 at 23:01 pm


    This sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 12, 2015 at 01:54 am

      Thank you Shawna!!

      Reply
  5. heather says

    November 12, 2015 at 02:59 am

    If I won this one I would FREAK OUT! I would buy Christmas presents and some greatly needed household items.

    Reply
  6. Karla says

    November 12, 2015 at 09:38 am

    Your mashed potatoes sound fabulous, and keeping them warm in the crockpot is genius. I think sometimes butter is the main dish on Thanksgiving, we use so much of it! Have a wonderful holiday!

    Reply
  7. karen says

    November 12, 2015 at 14:56 pm

    If I won, I would buy a high speed blender!

    Reply
  8. Judy says

    November 12, 2015 at 20:23 pm

    Genius idea! Totally need to utilize this idea on Thanksgiving! 🙂

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 13, 2015 at 17:14 pm

      Awesome Judy! I hope it’s a huge time-saver:)

      Reply
  9. Ramona @ The Merchant Baker says

    November 15, 2015 at 01:58 am

    I think I’m with you…mashed potatoes stove top seem easier than in a crock pot to me…but using the crock pot to keep them warm? I’m all over that!

    Reply
  10. Tim S says

    November 18, 2015 at 03:36 am

    What a great idea!! If I had known about it earlier I would have totally used this idea on Thanksgiving!!

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 21, 2015 at 14:08 pm

      Hopefully you can use this easy method from now on!

      Reply
  11. Marsha Hanzel says

    November 19, 2015 at 22:50 pm

    What a good idea.

    Reply
  12. Maria Fernanda says

    November 21, 2015 at 00:34 am


    hi! I want to win because I am a student and I don’t have a laptop, besides that I would bought my mom’s birthday present, it’s on december. and the recipe it’s sooo goood, looks like my grandma recipes jaja

    Reply
  13. Maria Fernanda says

    November 21, 2015 at 01:55 am


    hello, i already finish all the steps, I really want and need to win please<3 I liked every single facebook page cuz I think that you all are awsome

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 21, 2015 at 14:08 pm

      Good luck Maria!!

      Reply
      • Maria Fernanda says

        November 22, 2015 at 03:13 am

        thanks doll<3

        Reply
      • Maria fernanda says

        November 26, 2015 at 20:26 pm


        Hi gorgeous! No winner yet?

        Reply
        • Leslie Osborne says

          November 28, 2015 at 21:04 pm

          A fellow blogger from foodfashionandfun.com has chosen the winner. She is waiting to hear back from the winner. We will announce the winner as soon as it’s been verified!!

          Reply
  14. Sunni says

    November 24, 2015 at 07:30 am

    Cannot wait to try this in a few days!!

    Reply
  15. Cajun says

    November 23, 2016 at 21:46 pm

    I’m totally using this trick with your Créme Fraiche Recipe tomorrow when I take them to my grandmother’s house. You’re a genius.

    Reply
    • Leslie Osborne says

      November 24, 2016 at 08:02 am

      Awesome Cajun! Yes making the mashed potatoes ahead of time is totally possible with the crockpot. Have a beautiful Thanksgiving!

      Reply

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