Mashed Potato Casserole

Mashed potato casserole is the ultimate holiday side dish we’ve all been waiting for. It's bound to find its way onto your holiday dinner table at some point during the season, but it makes a great side dish any time of the year. It's creamy, fluffy, and oh so cheesy. 

The recipe begins—as you might expect—with classic mashed potatoes. We infuse milk and butter with fresh thyme and bay leaves to add both floral and earthy notes. While those flavors meld, all you have to do is boil your potatoes and smashed garlic cloves (flavor alert!) until fork-tender. We use Yukon gold potatoes instead of the typical russets. Yukon golds are creamier and slightly less starchy and make the most silky smooth mashed potatoes you can get. Mash them up with the herb-infused milk and some cream cheese, then fold in the secret ingredient—eggs. Eggs are stirred in before baking to lighten up the potatoes, and they help the mixture “soufflé” a bit in the oven. Since the eggs in this recipe add some richness to the dish, we use a little less milk than we normally would for mashed potatoes. We replace that missing liquid with some starchy water that’s left over from cooking the potatoes. 

The best part of this dish is the topping. Crunchy panko bread crumbs are tossed with Parmesan cheese and nutty brown butter and sprinkled over the top before baking. It becomes crispy and golden in the oven, so it complements the creaminess of the potatoes very well.

If you want to make this recipe ahead, make it entirely, but wait to keep the bread crumb topping separate until just before baking, and refrigerate. Proceed with the recipe, but expect around 20 minutes more baking time.

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!