Celebration Side Dish: Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

We loved this recipe!

Wow, was it good and it was a hit at the holiday party we attended this weekend.   It is definitely not Dukan or Paleo so I only tasted the mashed potatoes to be sure it had enough seasoning but the male half who loves mashed potatoes said it's one of the best he's had...and he doesn't usually get excited about food.

This recipes feeds a lot.  I didn't measure it since I started it too late and rushed getting it prettied up for the holiday gathering.  If you're making this for a gathering, it's perfect, but for a family of 4 or 6, cut the recipe in half and you'll still have lots of leftovers.

Here's the original recipe from Cooking Light...we ended up doubling the seasonings to make it more flavorful and we prefer our mashed potatoes creamier.  The original recipe makes a dryer mashed potato.  If you prefer a milder tasting, dryer mashed potato, start with the original recipe, then add more seasonings.   The recipe below is our doubled seasoning recipe.

The dryer mashed potatoes are easier to work with when making the little scoops, but the recipe below did hold together.  We used a mini scooper.

RECIPE:
Prep Time: Seems like it took me over 1/2 an hour to clean the potatoes (removing eyes and other unattractive markings) and chop the green onions.  Plus another 10-15 minutes to mash and mix.
Cook Time: 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender

13 cups (approx 4 lbs) of red potatoes, cleaned and cubed
3/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. green onions, chopped (only the green part)
1/2 c. reduced fat buttermilk (start with 1/4 c. until you find a consistency you like)
3 T. butter, softened
1 1/2 t. kosher salt or sea salt
1 T. fresh basil (because we had it on hand, you can use dried too, if using dried, try 1 1/2 t.)
1 1/2 t. oregano
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried dill

Place cubed potatoes in a pot or dutch oven, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Drain potatoes then put potatoes into a large bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mash with a masher or a couple of forks.  Mash to your desired consistency.  We like ours with little chunks of potato still in it.

Enjoy...everyone here did!