Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

+ Prepare ‘Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives’ one night before. +

Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives is the 1st in a series of 6 ‘make ahead’ recipes, all of which can be prepared – or prepped – a day or two ahead, which will help to make your busy life a bit easier! By preparing a few dishes each night for two nights, all you’ll need to do the day of The Big Feast is cook the turkey, make the gravy and cook the green beans.

Recently I had several friends here at My Yellow Farmhouse to taste-test these recipes and got rave reviews on everything!! And, for once, my kitchen was not a disaster zone.

(Karl.. the first man to ever ask me for a recipe, I posted this recipe first just for you! And E.I, I’ll post the recipe for the gravy next since you loved it so much!)

Everything was very casual the night my friends came to sample my new recipes.

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes and Chives

Green Beans with Browned Butter and Sesame Seeds

https://myyellowfarmhouse.com/2014/11/22/green-beans-with-browned-butter-and-sesame-seeds-browned-butter-can-be-prepared-ahead/

Herb Stuffing with Baby Bella Mushrooms, Celery and Onion

https://myyellowfarmhouse.com/2014/11/15/make-ahead-turkey-dinner-recipe-no-3-herb-stuffing-with-baby-bella-mushrooms/

Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon, Nutmeg and a Splash of Bourbon

https://myyellowfarmhouse.com/2014/11/15/make-ahead-turkey-dinner-recipe-no-2-sweet-potatoes-with-cinnamon-nutmeg-and-a-splash-of-brandy/

Turkey Breast (or Turkey) with White Wine, Oranges and Apples & Savory Turkey Gravy

https://myyellowfarmhouse.com/2014/11/17/make-ahead-turkey-dinner-recipes-no-4-5-roasted-turkey-breast-or-whole-turkey-with-white-wine-oranges-and-apples-savory-turkey-gravy/

Bonus Recipe – Homemade Whole-Berry Cranberry Sauce with Apple and a Hint of Cinnamon

https://myyellowfarmhouse.com/2014/11/20/homemade-whole-berry-cranberry-sauce-with-apple-and-a-hint-of-cinnamon/

INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

8 – 9 large gold potatoes ++ About half 2 1/2 – 3 pounds ++ Half a 5 lb. bag
5 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 Tbs. minced fresh chives
1 cup milk

Peel and cut into chunks 8 – 9 large gold potatoes. Place in a large saucepan and cover potatoes with cold water. Bring water to a boil and simmer potato chunks until they break apart when pierced with a fork. (Thanks Ina Garten for that tip!) The cooking time will depend upon how large your potato chunks are – it should take about 15 – 20 minutes after the water has come to a boil.

Turn off heat. Drain potatoes and return to saucepan. Place saucepan on the same (turned off) burner. Add 5 Tbs. butter, 1/2 cup sour cream, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and 3 Tbs. minced fresh chives. Mash well until potato chunks are broken down.

Add 1 cup milk. With mixer, beat potatoes for about a minute – just until everything is well combined. ++ If you beat mashed potatoes too long, they can become gummy.

Pour into a heatproof or microwavable casserole, depending upon if you plan to reheat the Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives in a microwave or oven. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate.

I have a small refrigerator in my cellar, so I was able to place all the ‘made-ahead’ dishes there. You can always use a large cooler or two – just be sure to keep the temperature good and cold.

++ I was really pleased to see how these potatoes remained nice and creamy. The regular mashed potatoes I prepared just a few hours before the meal actually dried up a bit …but it was nothing a bit more milk couldn’t fix.

Luckily, I have a rack for my microwave, so I reheated both the Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives and the regular mashed potatoes in the microwave.

If you chose to reheat these potatoes in the oven, set it at 360F. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and heat for about 40 minutes, during which time you can allow your turkey to ‘rest’ uncovered. ++Allowing cooked meat to ‘rest’ makes the meat juicer. Plus it’s often easier to carve – which means … no shredded turkey!