Mashed potatoes can be a vehicle for gravy — or they can be a flavor experience all on their own. Make a batch of these Easy Alfredo Mashed Potatoes to make your taste buds sing!
It’s true that for some people, mashed potatoes are just a reason to pour gravy on your plate. And while that is certainly a practice I can get behind (Hello, Gravy!), I think there are situations when you want your potatoes to be able to stand on their own.
Scalloped potatoes certainly do. And so do Cheesy Potatoes.
These Alfredo Mashed Potatoes are also part of that club. The potatoes you can eat all on their own in the middle of the night when you’re hungry for something delicious.
The mashed potatoes that can accompany a store-bought rotisserie chicken without the need or hassle of making gravy.
The potatoes that have all the savory goodness of an Alfredo Pasta dish, but are potatoes.
Alfredo Mashed Potatoes
Side dishes add a little more oomph to a meal. They help you stretch what you have to fit a crowd. And some side dishes really complement a meal and make the main dish tastier than it would be without.
I love some side dishes like mashed potatoes or baked potatoes or cheesy potatoes so much, that I’d much rather just eat potatoes and a salad for dinner. These potatoes are like that.
The first time I made these potatoes, one of the boys came wandering in asking if we were having pasta with cream sauce. The smells of garlic, cream, and cheese were reminiscent of one of his favorite dishes. And well, they should be. I basically made mashed potatoes with my homemade Alfredo sauce. Yum!
These spuds continue to be a big hit with the fam. They are easy to whip up, filling, and just perfect for cool nights when you want some stick-to-yer-ribs kinds of foods.
What goes with mashed potatoes?
Mashed potatoes are delicious with cooked meats, like pot roasts and chicken. They are also delicious as a topping for Shepherd’s Pie. Mashed potatoes are also good as part of a vegetarian meal, accompanied by roasted vegetables and a salad.
How far in advance can you make mashed potatoes?
Prepared food is good for up to four days, refrigerated. If you’d like to make mashed potatoes in advance, spoon them into a greased baking dish, cover, and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, dot the surface of the potatoes with butter and reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Can you freeze mashed potatoes?
Mashed potatoes are a great dish to freeze. Spoon them into a greased baking dish, cover, and chill until completely cold. Store in the freezer. When ready to serve, thaw the dish in the refrigerator before proceeding with the reheating directions.
What goes into Alfredo Mashed Potatoes?
This Alfredo Mashed Potatoes recipe calls for:
- yukon gold potatoes
- butter
- half and half
- Parmesan cheese
- chopped or minced garlic
- parsley
- salt and pepper
How do you make this recipe economically?
This is a recipe rich in flavor which implies you might need to spend a pretty penny on it. Maybe. Not.
To prepare this recipe economically, keep your eyes open for sales on the higher priced items such as half and half and parmesan cheese. Sometimes gold potatoes are more expensive than russets. If you prefer, you can prepare this recipe with russet potatoes instead of the golden ones.
How to make Alfredo Mashed Potatoes:
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Place them in a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Boil the potatoes until they easily break apart with a fork, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash with a potato masher until smooth.
- Add the butter and continue mashing until the butter is incorporated into the potatoes.
- Add the half and half, and stir to combine.
- Add the Parmesan, garlic, and parsley. Stir to combine.
- Serve the potatoes hot.
What kitchen tools do you need to make mashed potatoes?
This recipe really couldn’t be easier than it is, but having the right kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs.
Here are the tools that I use for this recipe:
- potato peeler – unless I buy organic potatoes, I always peel my spuds. This is a great one!
- potato masher – If making a single batch, I usually mash these by hand. You can also toss the hot potatoes into the bowl of a stand mixer. Just don’t walk away as potatoes can get gluey if over mixed.
- large heavy pot – Cook up lots of potatoes in a heavy stock pot.
- beaker style liquid measure – These clear beakers are great for measuring liquids.
- 9×13-inch Pyrex with lid – I love these pans! They are great for freezing and stack well.
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to take a picture and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Easy Alfredo Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 lb Yukon gold potato peeled and chopped
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 cup half and half
- 4 oz Parmesan cheese (shredded) (1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot of water, boil the potatoes until very tender. Drain and return the potful of potatoes to low heat.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the butter and blend until smooth. Add the half and half, cheese, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.
- Stir until well blended. Add more half and half if necessary. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Emily @ Butter Believer says
Those taters sound delicious!! I’m putting it into my Plan to Eat recipe book.
I don’t have a side dish recipe to share that I can think of, but I love this idea for a swap! I’ll have to come back to see what everyone else contributes. Side dishes are always hard for me to come up with!
Emily @ Recipes to Nourish says
Thanks so much for hosting! Those potatoes look amazing! I shared a Baked Kale Chip recipe, this is our #1 favorite side at my house. We make these almost every night. Thanks again 🙂
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
Great theme. I’m really good about making dinners, bad about coming up with side dishes. Looking forward to seeing what others link up!
Jessica Fisher says
Side dishes are hard, aren’t they? You love ’em when you have ’em, but the lazy factor can keep me from pulling something together.
Jen Blacker says
My husband begs and pleads with me to make my creamy Parmesan bacon potatoes. It’s so bad for you, heavy cream, potatoes, bacon, butter….I conceded to once a month to make him happy. I’ve lately been using pecorino romano cheese since I got a big chunk of it at Costco. Add more or less cream to your liking. Any time I screw up and add too much cream (I don’t even measure anymore) I just let it cook down a bit. This is a recipe you really can’t screw up.
Heather says
These look very yummy! We love parmesan cheese. I put it in so many things, but I have never put it into mashed potatoes. I will have to try this.
Laurie says
Hi Jessica! I just bought your organizing e-book. I love it. Thank you for all of the work you put into designing it – and then offering it at such an affordable price. You’re amazing, lady!
Kristin says
Delicious. Can’t wait to try. It would be perfect with marinated steak or chicken. Yum!
Vicky says
I’m not just a mom who enjoys your recipes, I’m a Grammy too. I try every Friday Night to have a Try a Different Approach to an old recipe with my grand daughters. We made these last night and LOVED THEM. Thanks for the recipe.
Vicky
http://www.in-our-kitchen.com
Meagan says
I made these last night and I don’t think mashed potatoes have ever disappeared so quickly at my table! Thanks for providing some great ideas- much appreciated when I get in a cooking rut. I really enjoy your two blogs and read them regularly.
Jessica Fisher says
Yeah! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! We ate our leftover potatoes tonight with vegetable stew and grilled fish. yum!
Laura says
I’ve got a question- have you ever tried to freeze your alfredo potatoes? Or do you just do your mashed potatoes (with the cream cheese) for the freezer?
Jessica Fisher says
I have not. I am a firm believer in cream cheese mashed potatoes freezing the best. The other versions tend to get watery. But, if you test this out, please let us know!
Laura says
I have a tester in the freezer right now, I’ll let you know how it turns out later this week!
Laura says
Took longer than I expected to report back on freezing these potatoes, but I can say it was a success! When they first unfroze (but before I reheated) they were looking super watery and I was really concerned, but once I reheated them (using the microwave), they were back to a nice, creamy, not dry consistency. I would say they weren’t quite as delicious as they are the same night you cook them, but if you’ve ever saved any in the fridge and reheated them, that’s what they tasted like.
Thanks for the recipes! I’m slowly working my way through them, hopefully I’ll have enough “favorites” to do a full freezer cooking session some day- so far I’ve just been doing little things, like freezing diced onions, making your enchiladas, freezing pizza dough and sauce.
Jessica Fisher says
Yeah! So glad to hear that it worked well for you.
Pat says
Thank you for reposting this recipe! I know I have seen it before but, I thought I was not a parmesan cheese fan. Yesterday I decided to give it a try and girl this stuff is delicious!!
Jessica Fisher says
Glad you gave it a try and liked it!