Baked Mashed Potatoes
on Nov 08, 2021, Updated Oct 14, 2024
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Baked mashed potatoes are next level in many ways: creamy, crunchy, and cheesy. You can also make this dish ahead and heat it right before serving.
Mashed potatoes are awesome; we all know that. But oven-baked mashed potatoes are next level in many ways. The addition of Parmesan and cream cheese makes them wonderfully decadent and rich, with a very creamy texture. A breadcrumb topping adds a nice textural contrast. And these are a wonderful make-ahead side dish. You can make them a couple of days ahead of time and heat them through in the oven right before serving without having to remember to keep stirring them on the stove.
This recipe is the perfect way to serve mashed potatoes during the holidays. Or, you can make them any time of year, even with simple dinners like Air Fried Salmon, Lemon-Rosemary Chicken Thighs, Porchetta, or Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs.
Table of Contents
Baked mashed potatoes are next level in many ways. You can make this dish ahead, and heat it in the oven right before serving. Great for a holiday crowd.
Ingredients
- Potatoes – I use Yukon gold or russet potatoes. Or a combination of both!
- Heavy cream – Heavy cream makes this dish rich and decadent.
- Milk – I use whole milk for this recipe for extra creaminess.
- Cheese – The cheeses of choice in this recipe are cream cheese and Parmesan, half of which gets stirred into the mashed potatoes directly, half of which is reserved for the breadcrumb topping.
- Butter – As if this dish needs something else to richen it (of course it does)! Butter also allows the potatoes to mash effortlessly.
- Chives – Adds a slight oniony flavor that compliments the richness of the dish.
- Breadcrumbs – The topping is optional but does encourage all of those peaks in your swirled top to get even more enticingly golden brown. And it adds a nice, slightly crunchy layer, which provides a contrast in texture to the super creamy potatoes. You can use unseasoned plain breadcrumbs, which have a finer texture, or larger, crunchier panko. Skip the seasoned breadcrumbs for this one.
Variations
- Feel free to try another cheese, like Gruyere, instead of Parmesan. If you wanted non-cheesy baked mashed potatoes, you could skip the Parm and decide if you want to use straight-up breadcrumbs or skip the topping altogether.
- You could try this with fresh breadcrumbs for a fluffier topping.
How to Make Baked Mashed Potatoes
- Cook the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Boil and mash the potatoes.
- Combine potatoes and milk mixture: While the potatoes are cooking, bring the cream and milk to a simmer in a small pot. When the potatoes are mashed or riced, pour in the hot milk mixture, add the cream cheese and butter, and stir until everything is very well combined and fairly smooth. Stir in half of the Parmesan, chives (if using), and salt and pepper until well blended.
- Add topping: Transfer to a large 4-quart shallow baking dish and swirl the top attractively. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ½ cup Parmesan and the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle them over the top.
- Bake and serve: Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve hot, with additional chives sprinkled over the top if desired.
FAQs
These potatoes have a generous amount of milk and cream, so they won’t dry out when baking.
When reheating leftovers, you want to make sure to keep them moist and fluffy. You can also whisk in a few extra splashes of milk or heavy cream to re-fluff them if they seem dry — don’t worry if the breadcrumb topping gets blended in; it will just add a bit of texture. Spread them out in the pan, add a bit more butter on top, and then wrap tightly with tin foil. This will ensure that they stay creamy when warmed up.
Pro Cooking Tips
- This recipe serves a lot of mashed potato-loving folks. You can cut the recipe in half easily if you have a smaller crowd. Just use a smaller baking dish, about 2 quarts vs. 4, if you are making a smaller batch.
- After you transfer the mashed potatoes to the shallow baking dish, use a butter knife or an offset spatula to swoop the top, making peaks and valleys. This will not only make the dish look more appealing in general (is that even possible?), it will encourage the top edges of the swirls to brown in the oven, which looks especially inviting.
- If you want a more browned top, after the potatoes are hot throughout, you can change the oven setting to broil and give it another few minutes. Watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t get too brown.
Make-Ahead
If you want to make this ahead, you can assemble the whole casserole, bread crumbs and all, and let it sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours before baking. Or you can make the casserole up to the point where you sprinkle over the bread crumb topping, and refrigerate it, covered, for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temp before baking, and sprinkle over the topping just before you put it in the oven. If you don’t have time to bring it to room temperature, plan to add another 15 minutes or so to the baking time.
What to Serve with Baked Mashed Potatoes
More Mashed Potato Recipes
- Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- Herbed Mashed Potatoes
- Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Mashed Potato Pancakes
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Baked Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes (or a mix)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese (at room temperature; cut into small pieces)
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter (at room temperature; cut into small pieces)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (divided)
- 2 tablespoons minced chives (plus additional minced chives to serve; optional)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons dried plain breadcrumbs (or panko)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Add the potatoes to the pot, adjust the heat so the water stays at a simmer, and simmer the potatoes for about 20 to 25 minutes until they are very tender, almost falling apart when you slide a knife into them. Drain well, then mash them into a large bowl using a ricer, a food mill, or a potato masher.
- While the potatoes are cooking, bring the cream and milk to a simmer in a small pot. When the potatoes are mashed or riced, pour in the hot milk mixture, add the cream cheese and butter, and stir until everything is very well combined and fairly smooth. Stir in half of the Parmesan, chives (if using), and salt and pepper until well blended.
- Transfer to a large 4-quart shallow baking dish and swirl the top attractively. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle them over the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. If you want a more browned top, you can change the oven setting to broil and give it another few minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t get too brown. Serve hot, with additional chives sprinkled over the top if desired.
Notes
- After you transfer the mashed potatoes to the shallow baking dish, use a butter knife or an offset spatula to swoop the top, making peaks and valleys. This will not only make the dish look more appealing in general (is that even possible?), it will encourage the top edges of the swirls to brown in the oven, which looks especially inviting.
- This recipe serves a lot of mashed potato-loving folks. You can cut the recipe in half easily if you have a smaller crowd. Just use a smaller baking dish, about 2 quarts vs. 4, if you are making a smaller batch.
- If you want a more browned top, after the potatoes are hot throughout, you can change the oven setting to broil and give it another few minutes, watching carefully to make sure it doesn’t get too brown.
- If you want to make this ahead, you can assemble the whole casserole, bread crumbs, and all, and let it sit at room temperature for up to 6 hours before baking. Or you can make the casserole up to the point where you sprinkle over the breadcrumb topping and refrigerate it, covered, for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temp before baking, and sprinkle over the topping just before you put it in the oven. If you don’t have time to bring it to room temperature, plan to add another 15 minutes or so to the baking time.
