Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Green Chile

Oh. My. Heavens. Someone needs to take the rest of these out of my house. I can not stop eating them. I tasted my friend Shannon's mashed potatoes the other day and when I tried them, I just might have gasped. Green chile in mashed potatoes? I never would have thought to do that. It was love at first taste and I couldn't get them out of my head.

I came home that afternoon determined to recreate the dish. These turned out even better than I imagined and I am excited to have a brand new potato dish to serve next week. In my world, every meal is better with green chile, even Thanksgiving Dinner!


Cheesy Mashed Potatoes with Green Chile
Inspired by my friend Shannon

5 lbs golden yellow potatoes (russets would work as well), peeled and then chopped into approximately 2" pieces
1/2 cup butter, room temp is easiest
approximately 1/2 cup heavy cream, adjust according to the creaminess and thickness that you prefer (milk works fine for this, the cream simply creates a more decadent dish)
7 oz chopped green chiles
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, garlic powder works as well
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Boil them until fork tender. Drain them and then place the pot with just the potatoes back on the warm burner.

Turn the heat to the lowest setting and begin mashing the potatoes. Once the potatoes are almost completely mashed, add the butter, cream or milk, green chile and seasonings. Continue mashing over lowest heat until the mixture is as smooth and creamy as you like. Taste and adjust flavors as desired.

Place the potatoes in an oven safe dish and top with the shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until melted, but not browned, approximately 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

*This dish can be made up to two days in advance. If you know that you will be refrigerating and then reheating at a later date, I recommend adding a small amount extra cream or milk to the potatoes, because they do tend to dry out a bit after resting in the refrigerator. Simply prep the potatoes, top with cheese and cover with lid or foil. When you are ready to cook them, bring them to room temperature before baking as directed above for 20-30 minutes. If they are still cold when you put them in the oven, leave the foil on the dish and bake 350 for 20-30 minutes and then uncover and continue baking for another 10-20 minutes to allow the cheese to melt. Test with a thermometer to ensure that the center of the dish is warm before removing from the oven.

Click here for printable recipe