Mashed Potato Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 strips bacon ($1.74)
• 3 lbs russet potatoes* ($1.95)
• water** ($0.00)
• ½ tsp salt ($0.01)
• 5 Tbsp salted butter (plus a little extra to butter your casserole dish) ($1.25)
• ½ yellow onion, diced small ($0.47)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.09)
• ½ cup whole milk ($0.14)
• ¼ cup sour cream ($0.31)
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika ($0.08)
• salt, to taste (I added about 1 tsp) ($0.01)
• ¼ tsp chili flakes (optional) ($0.06)
• ¼ cup shredded parmesan ($1.07)
• ½ cup shredded cheddar ($0.56)
• 2 green onions (about 2 Tbsp), diced ($0.15)

Instructions

1. Cook
2. Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Cook bacon in the oven until crispy.
3. Drain
4. Once cooked and crispy, drain your bacon on paper towels. Set aside for now.
5. Peel potatoes and dice them into 1–2-inch cubes, rinse well.
6. Cover
7. Put potatoes in large pot, covered by 2 inches of water. Add ½ tsp salt.
8. Boil until fork-tender (on the softer side), about 15-20 minutes.
9. Drain potatoes and rinse with warm water. Set aside. Rinse out potato pot briefly and give it a quick wipe.
10. Saute
11. Melt salted butter in the potato pot and add onion. Cook until soft and glossy.
12. Cook
13. Add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
14. Mash
15. Add cooked potatoes back to pot with onions and garlic. Mash with potato masher until they are the consistency you prefer, being careful not to overmix to avoid a gummy texture.
16. Mix
17. Add whole milk, sour cream, pepper, smoked paprika, salt (to taste), and chili flakes (optional) and combine.
18. Smooth
19. Butter a 9x13” casserole dish. Transfer potatoes to the buttered casserole dish and smooth out with a spatula.
20. Top with shredded parmesan, shredded cheddar, and crumbled bacon.
21. Bake in oven at 400ºF for 20 minutes covered with foil, then uncover for 10 minutes.
22. Garnish with green onions and serve.