Mashed potato treated as a casserole: cooked in the slow cooker, mashed in the same pot, then topped with cheddar and bacon and left to melt.
It takes four and a half hours and none of them need the hob, which is the entire argument for making mashed potato this way on a day the kitchen is busy.
Why This Recipe Works
- Steaming in broth rather than boiling in water means the potatoes never take on water. Waterlogged potato is the reason most mashed potato needs so much butter to taste of anything.
- Cream cheese and sour cream together give tang and body that milk and butter alone cannot. This is what makes it a loaded casserole rather than a bowl of mash.
- Holding back half a cup of cheddar and half the bacon for the top means there is a distinct topping rather than everything stirred uniformly through.
- Fifteen to thirty minutes on Low at the end is enough to melt the top without drying the casserole, and it also holds it at serving temperature while everything else finishes.
No Pot of Water Anywhere
Mashed potato is normally boiled, drained and mashed with dairy added afterwards. This recipe does none of those things, and every difference is deliberate.
Steamed, not boiledVery tender, 3 to 4 hours on High
Four pounds of potato in one cup of broth with butter. There is nowhere near enough liquid to submerge them, so they cook in steam — which means they absorb almost no water and taste of broth and butter rather than of nothing.
Barely drainedAbout 1/4 cup left behind
Excess liquid drained if needed, leaving about a quarter cup in the crock. That quarter cup is starchy, buttery and seasoned, and pouring it away would be discarding the best liquid in the recipe.
Mashed where they cookedMashed in the crock
Directly in the slow cooker, so nothing is transferred and nothing cools. Warm potato takes up dairy far more readily than cooled potato, which is why the next step works at all.
Enriched, then loosened by feelCreamy, adjusted one tablespoon at a time
Cream cheese, sour cream, milk and seasoning mashed in, with extra milk added a tablespoon at a time as needed. A tablespoon at a time is the whole instruction — mashed potato goes from stiff to sloppy in about two tablespoons and cannot be brought back.
Ingredient Notes
- Russet potatoes
- Four pounds, peeled and in 1 1/2-inch chunks. Russets are the floury choice and the right one — they break down under a masher where a waxy potato turns gluey.
- Cream cheese and sour cream
- Four ounces and a cup. Together they are what distinguishes this from ordinary mashed potato, and both should be at room temperature going into warm potato.
- Cheddar, divided
- A cup and a half total: a cup folded in and half a cup on top. Worth following that division.
- Cooked bacon
- Six slices, already cooked and crumbled, also divided between the mixture and the top.
How to Make It
Cook the potatoes
Coat a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Add the potatoes, broth and butter, cover and cook on High for 3 to 4 hours or Low for 6 to 7, until very tender.
Drain lightly and mash
Drain any excess liquid if needed, leaving about 1/4 cup in the crock, then mash the potatoes directly in the slow cooker.
Enrich
Add the cream cheese, sour cream, milk, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Mash and stir until creamy, adding extra milk 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
Fold and top
Fold in 1 cup of the cheddar and half the bacon, then smooth the top. Sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar and the rest of the bacon.
Melt and serve
Cover and cook on Low for 15 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is steamy. Garnish with green onions and smoked paprika, and serve warm from the crock — or transfer to a baking dish and broil 2 to 3 minutes for a lightly crisp top.
Success Tips
- Even chunks. It is the only prep decision that matters.
- Leave about a quarter cup of the cooking liquid in the pot.
- Mash in the crock while everything is hot.
- Add milk a tablespoon at a time. Too loose is not recoverable.
Serving Ideas
Green onions and a dusting of smoked paprika, and straight from the crock is genuinely the best way — it stays hot on Warm through a long meal. The broiler finish is worth the extra dish if you want a crisp top.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate up to 4 days. It firms considerably when cold, which is normal for a potato-and-cream-cheese mixture.
Freeze
Possible up to 2 months but not ideal — mashed potato with this much dairy can go grainy on thawing. Reheat slowly and stir well if you do.
Reheat
Covered in a low oven or back in the slow cooker on Low with a splash of milk. Stir it through before serving; it separates slightly as it stands.
Frequently Asked Questions
My mash went gluey.
Over-mashing, or the wrong potato. Working potato starch too hard develops it into a paste, and the effect is worse with waxy varieties. Mash until creamy and then stop, and use russets rather than red or new potatoes.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes, and it is a good candidate. Complete it through step 4, refrigerate in the insert, and give it longer on Low to come back up to temperature before adding the final topping. A splash of milk when reheating brings the texture back.
Can I make it vegetarian?
Use vegetable broth, which is an option, and leave the bacon off. The smoked paprika garnish carries a little of the smokiness the bacon would have provided, and everything else in the ingredient list is already meat-free.
