Loaded Mashed Potatoes Bake

When you make mashed potatoes, or order them from a restaurant, what flavors do you like in them?  Garlic and herb, sour cream, plain?  My personal favorite is a loaded mashed potato.  Creamy whipped potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, crisp bacon pieces and chives or scallions!

Doesn’t that just scream comfort food?

Don’t worry, the recipe makes far more than that personal ramekin (I just like how cute it looks)!

My kids, bless their hearts, will eat their weight in 3 things…. bread, fruit, and potatoes.  In fact, I think they would try to live off those three things if I let them.  Needless to say, we eat a good amount of potatoes in this house lol.  Some of our favorites are Parmesan and Garlic Potato Wedge Fries and Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  This recipe is definitely taking a place among our favorite potato recipes!

Basically what you do for this recipe is make mashed potatoes, then bake them… sort of like a twice baked potato.  Except on a jumbo, ginormous scale 😉  Okay, not that ginormous, it makes a 13×9″ pan 🙂

You guys will love this one… it’s a big pan full of comfort food!  Don’t be ashamed to go in for seconds (or thirds, in my case!).  As a bonus, your kiddos will love this one too!  I know all too well how frustrating it is to work hard preparing a meal or dish, put it on the table and think, “Ha!  The kids will love this one, I know it!”… just to watch them turn up their nose and say, “that looks gross Mom”.  …….. sigh ……..  

Pssst… this is why all Mom’s need wine, and often.  Take note fellas!

You can totally customize this to your tastes… choose whatever cheese you like, want turkey or soy bacon?  Go for it!  Want some herbs?  Add ’em!  You can even switch up the potatoes you use, and how “mashed” you want your potatoes to be.  How’s that for an “it’s up to you” recipe?  Lol.

I prefer my potatoes in this to be whipped smooth and creamy… I feel like it adds a nice texture contrast from the crisp bacon, bite of the cheese, and slight snap of the green onions.  A dollop of sour cream on top of these would be phenomenal as well!

The process for these is pretty simple… just peel about 4 lbs of redskin potatoes (I peel them about 3/4 of the way, I like a little skin on there), cut them into chunks and place in a large pot.  Add 5 cloves of smashed garlic, cover with water.  Bring to a boil and continue boiling about 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.

Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl.  Smash a little with a potato masher.  Add the cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream and butter and mash/whip (I use my hand mixer) to your desired consistency.  Stir in your cheese and crumbled bacon.  Try not to eat some at this point, but if you sneak a taste… hey, that’s the cook’s prerogative isn’t it? 😉

Spoon potatoes into a greased 13×9″ baking pan, top with additional cheese and bacon, and bake for about 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with sliced green onions or chives.  As you can see, I couldn’t even contain myself long enough to take a picture first… I had to have that spoonful 😉

This potato bake would go really well with my Heroin Chicken Tenders, Chicken Stuffed Crescent Rolls, or Crispy Honey Chipotle Chicken… but feel free to pair it with any dish you’d like!

Recipe adapted from Spend with Pennies

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Loaded Mashed Potatoes Bake

5 from 3 votes

Author: The Chunky Chef

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

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All the flavors of your favorite loaded mashed potatoes, baked to creamy perfection. The perfect side dish for the whole family to enjoy!

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 lbs redskin potatoes mostly peeled
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic smashed
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1/2 cup heavy cream
• ▢ 4 oz cream cheese
• ▢ 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ▢ 3 green onions sliced
• ▢ 11 slices of bacon cooked and sliced
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ For the Toppings:
• ▢ 2-3 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
• ▢ 1/2-1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ▢ 2 green onions sliced (for garnish)

Instructions

• Wash and dry potatoes, peel about 3/4 of the skin off, chop into large chunks and place in a large pot. Smash the cloves of garlic, add to pot, cover with water and boil for about 15-20 minutes (until potatoes are fork tender).
• While potatoes are boiling, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and grease a 13x9" baking dish.
• Drain potatoes and mash slightly with a potato masher. Add butter, sour cream, heavy cream and cream cheese and mash or whip to your desired consistency. I use a hand mixer to whip the potatoes smooth.
• Add remaining ingredients (not including the toppings) and stir to combine.
• Spoon potatoes into the prepared baking dish, top with the toppings and bake for 25-30 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Garnish with sliced green onions.

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Chef Tips

** Feel free to customize this recipe to your liking!

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