Mashed Potato Casserole

Ingredients

5 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter
Paprika
***You could probably also incorporate grated cheese into this...an idea I had, but haven't done it. Same with shrimp or crabmeat***

Directions

Pour water into about a 5-quart kettle to the depth of about 1 inch.
Add potatoes, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat to medium and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced (okay, stabbed with a fork!) It'll take about 40 minutes.
Drain.
Mash well.
In a small bow, beat cream cheese with sour cream until fluffy.
Gradually beat into mashed potatoes until the mixture is smooth.
Add garlic salt and pepper. Mix well.
Turn into a buttered shallow 3-4 quart baking or casserole dish.
Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika.
(At this stage, you can cover it and refrigerate for up to 3 days,but bring it to room temperature before baking.)
Bake, covered, in a 400 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until heated through.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe that makes a perfect side dish for any meal, plus Thanksgiving Dinner is coming up soon, what are you going to fix this year? Sweet potatoes fresh from your garden will make a great casserole. Make it with marshmallow and pecan topping! Sweet potato casserole is a traditional side dish at any holiday meal, but Thanksgiving is the most widely known holiday for this side dish!

How to prepare this Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

• Peel the sweet potatoes, wash and cut in half.
• Boil Sweet Potatoes in large pot on stove for approximately 20 minutes (after boil starts) or until they fall off a knife.
• Pull Sweet Potatoes from water and allow to drain.
• In large mixing bowl, combine butter, orange juice, orange peel, and potatoes, and mix for 3 minutes.
• Prepare topping while potatoes mix... Combine milk, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla in microwave bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until mix is thickened.
• Spread potato mixture in casserole dish and sprinkle pecans on top, then add topping mixture evenly over the top.
• Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
• Remove from oven and add marshmallows to top, bake another 10 minutes.

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Regardless of how you fix them, whether diced, sliced, mashed or baked, potatoes are the most popular vegetable in America, and a pantry staple. Most Americans include some form of potato product in one out of three meals they eat daily. Potatoes, when prepared well, and without added fat, are a wonderful source of nutritional energy.

When shopping for potatoes, choose ones that are firm, smooth, and have no spots and sprouts. If a potato is rather green in appearance it indicates sunburn or light exposure and should be avoided. Find the proper potato for the dish that you are preparing. Waxy or boiling potatoes are better suited for soups, salads or barbequing. Some names to look for in your store are Red Potato, Round Red or Yellow Potato to name a few. For baking, mashing or frying, try to use a starchy potato variety. These potato varieties are usually long and coarse and their skins feel like a cork when touched. Some familiar starchy potato names you’ll see in your grocery store are Gold Rush, Russet Arcadia, and Russet Burbank.

Be sure to store potatoes in a dark, dry, cool area. Temperatures above 50 F cause potatoes to sprout and shrivel. Refrigeration is not recommended because the starch will turn to sugar and the potato will turn dark when cooked.