Crockpot: Mashed Potatoes

Crockpot recipes require so little thought or attendence. And about the time you start to get hungry, your food is done and you can dig in. This past holiday season when your stove top and oven are full with food for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, Crockpots are a lifesaver. I hosted Christmas dinner and made mac and cheese in a slow cooker--the most amazing mac and cheese I've ever had, by the way. Well, my mom made these mashed potatoes in the slowcooker for Thanksgiving dinner. They were sooo yummy. And she didn't have to worry about boiling or mashing or whipping potatoes while making also the turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, or green bean casserole.

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:
5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
1 cup sour cream*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 cup milk, warmed.

Directions:
Place the potatoes, chicken broth and butter into your crockpot. Cover and cool on high for 4 hours or until the potatoes are tender. Add sour cream garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or beat them with an electric mixer on low. Stir in milk a little at a time until you have the desired consistency.

Cover and set the crockpot on low or warm until ready to serve. (Do not keep the crockpot on for more than 2 hours).

Stir before serving.

*My mom said that the next time she makes these, she's going to use cream cheese instead of sour cream. I will let you know how it turns out when she does. (Or if I bet her to it and try it first!)

Mashed potatoes with Brown Butter

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Potato Recipes:
Salt and Vinegar Roasted Potatoes 
Ranch, Cheddar, and Bacon Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice Microwaved Loaded Potatoes

More Crockpot Recipes:
Alfredo Green Bean Casserole
Brown Sugar and Garlic Chicken
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Orange Chicken
Pumpkin Butter 
Tomato and Artichoke Chicken

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Oh brown butter, you are one of the best culinary discoveries I stumbled upon on Pinterest. It's an easy way to change up a recipe and add complexity of flavor. So when I served mashed potatoes at Christmas dinner, I decided to change them up a bit by making brown butter to pour over them. So, so good. Between these brown butter mashed potatoes and my spiced rum cookies, I've got my mom hooked on brown butter.

Ingredients:
Unsalted Butter (2 sticks makes 1 cup)
Mashed potatoes (homemade, frozen, or boxed--garlic, cheesy, how ever you like your potatoes)

Directions:
Over medium heat, melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Continue to cook it until it turns a dark golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma, stirring occasionally.

Pour brown butter over mashed potatoes.

Any extra brown butter can be put in an airtight container and stored in the fridge or freezer (I have some in my freezer right now!)

That's 2 sticks of butter.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Check Out More Brown Butter Recipes:
Spiced Rum Brown Butter Cookies
Brown Sugar Cookies
Pasta with Summer Squash, Tomatoes, and Brown Butter Sauc

The Ultimate Comfort Food Casserole

Can't decide what to make for dinner? Chicken casserole? Green bean casserole? Mashed potatoes? Or maybe something cheesy? This casserole has it all--chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and cheddar cheese. In other words, it combines some of the best comfort foods into one dish. It's also great for using up left over chicken or mashed potatoes. I even overheard Eric bragging to his mom on the phone about how amazing this casserole turned out.

This is a variation on a Betty Crocker recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey (leftover chicken/turkey works great; so does shredded rotisserie chicken)
2 (14.5 ounce) can green beans, drained
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom (Don't like mushrooms? Use cream of celery instead)
1/3 cup milk
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups french fried onions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


In a saucepan, combine chicken, beans, cream of mushroom soup, and 1/3 cup milk. Cook over medium heat until hot--approximately 10 minutes--stirring occasionally.

Once the chicken mixture is hot, remove from heat and stir in cheese until it is melted. Pour the mixture in a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Spoon potatoes on top of the chicken mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes then sprinkle the top of the potatoes with the french fried onions. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the onion topping is warm. Serve.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Check Out More Comfort Food Recipes:
How to Make Boxed Mac and Cheese Taste Homemade 
Baked Potato Soup 
Potless Chicken Pot Pies