If someone told me I had to choose five foods to eat exclusively for the rest of my life, I really don’t know what four of my choices would be.
But I do know that one of those five foods would be potatoes.
Doesn’t sound very exciting, but potatoes are just too versatile—and delicious in every way I’ve ever tried them—to not choose as a food I quite literally couldn’t live without.
Mashed Potato Bake: A Twist on a Classic!
One of my favorite ways to prepare potatoes is the good old classic, mashed potatoes.
As an adult, I’ve come to enjoy baked mashed potatoes more than simply mashed potatoes, thanks in large part to my mom. She has an excellent mashed potato bake recipe that is always my favorite dish in any meal it’s part of. Her baked mashed potatoes are insanely good!
Mashed Potato Bake with Mozzarella
The dish I’m sharing today is my unique twist on both classic mashed potatoes, and baked mashed potatoes. My decadent mashed potato bake is filled with flavor from mozzarella, Parmesan, and garlic. Though I’ve used Russet potatoes in this recipe many times, the creaminess of Yukon Gold potatoes makes them my favorite potato to use in this mashed potato bake.
The best part about using mozzarella here is that the top of the potatoes crisps up and browns by the end of baking. The mozzarella also gives this potato bake a nice amount of structure. So when this mashed potato bake is cooled, the texture it takes on is sort of like a Dutch egg pancake, but with potatoes.
Best of both worlds in my book.
Make this Mashed Potato Bake!
So next time the mashed potato craving hits you, make my Mashed Potato Bake with Mozzarella. Pair with my Tuscan Veggie Sausage and Grapes, or the filling of these Beyond Meat Sausage Burgers with Caramelized Bell Peppers, for a delicious and filling meal. It’s also the perfect potato dish for Thanksgiving, and goes great with my Ciabatta Dressing.
A Few Things!
You can make the potato mixture the day before, or the morning before, you plan to bake the dish. Very convenient for busy weeknights! Just make the potato mixture, and store covered in the baking dish overnight/during the day in the fridge until you’re ready to bake the potatoes.
(If you don’t store the potatoes in the dish you plan to bake them in, be sure to give the potatoes about 15-20 minutes to come to room temperature, otherwise they’ll be thick and difficult to spread in the baking dish.)
My Favorite Offset Spatula
An offset spatula is the only tool I use for dishes like this that require spreading a mixture evenly into a baking dish. You won’t believe how easy an offset spatula makes this step until you try it. Here is my favorite offset spatula on Amazon [aff. link]. Give an offset spatula a try, and I guarantee you’ll find yourself using it just about everyday. I certainly do.
Mashed Potato Bake with Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Yukon Gold or Russet Potatoes, peeled and quartered (or cut to about 1 ½ inch by 1 ½ inch pieces)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tbsp butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup mozzarella, freshly grated
- ½ cup Parmesan, freshly grated
- Parsley, to garnish
Instructions
Boil the potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into halves or quarters (about 1 ½ inch by 1 ½ inch pieces; this will help the potatoes cook faster.)
- Put the potatoes in a large pot, and fill with water until the water covers the potatoes by 1-2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until when you prick the potatoes with a fork, they basically fall apart. Adjust the heat as needed during boiling to keep the water from bubbling out of the pot.
Prepare the rest of the ingredients
- While the potatoes boil, prep all of your other ingredients—grate the cheese, cube the butter, dice the garlic.
Put it all together
- Drain the potatoes, and place them back in the boiling pot. Add the garlic, butter, sea salt, milk, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
- With a hand held mixer, beat all the ingredients together, until everything is completely incorporated and smooth. (You can also do this in a stand mixer if you've got one.)
- At this point, you can go ahead and bake the potatoes, or you can refrigerate the potatoes until you are ready to bake them the next day.
Bake the potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Oil an 8x8 inch pan, and add the potato mixture to the pan. With your offset spatula, spread the potato mixture evenly into the pan. You can spread the top smoothly with your spatula, or make some texture. (I kind of do little waves.)
- Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until the top of the potatoes has puffed up a bit and turned a golden brown.
Serve and enjoy!
- Remove the potatoes from the oven from oven, and let cool for at least 20-30 minutes before serving. (The longer the potatoes cool, the better each serving will retain its shape.)
- Garnish the top of the dish with chopped parsley, if desired, and serve!
15 Responses
This is truly beautiful. I’ve decided i really like potatoes. But this didn’t happen until recently. So strange. Maybe I’m starting to like carbs more. I have no idea! This is perfect for a holiday meal!
Haha that’s awesome! Potatoes are so incredibly versatile, I don’t know what I’d do without them. 😋
Shannon, mine would be potatoes, rice, wheat, tomatoes, and bacon. But, potatoes would be my first choice. I love them cooked any way, but made into your mashed potato bake sounds like it’ll be right there on the top.
Ohhh those are some excellent choices Ron, I’d probably choose much the same! Thanks so much! I am so with you, I don’t think I’ve ever had a potato dish I didn’t enjoy. 😋
Made these for Thanksgiving. Really good!
I’m so happy to hear the potatoes were a hit! Thanks for commenting Kristin!
I totally agree with you about potatoes – you can do so many things with a potato! (I’m resisting the urge to go all Bubba Gump on potatoes here…haha.) We often heat up leftover mashed potatoes in a skillet with cheese, but I like this idea of baking them. We happen to have a lot of leftover potatoes right now – perfect timing!! 🙂
Oh I need to try leftover mashed potatoes in a skillet with cheese. That sounds amazing David! 😋
Potatoes are already delicious, but with some added cheese, the entire dish is elevated to a new level! It looks terrific too. The top layer reminds me the texture of soufflé.
Thanks Ben! Oh I totally agree, it does look like a soufflé. 😄
Made these for Thanksgiving dinner last year. They were such a hit, I’m planning to make them again this year. Yum!
My favorite mashed potato recipe. Make them every Thanksgiving and Christmas, and several times throughout the year when the craving strikes. Just made them last night, delicious as always!
I’m so glad this is a repeat recipe Patty! Thanks for commenting!
Great recipe, our family’s favorite baked mashed potatoes!
That’s great to hear Ellen, thanks for making the recipe, and for commenting!