Overnight Mashed Potato Casserole
4 lbs. russet potatoes
1 1/2 C sour cream
6 Tb butter, divided
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 C dried bread crumbs
1) If the potatoes are large, cut into quarters. Cook potatoes until tender in boiling, salted water. Drain and place in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add sour cream, 5 Tb butter, salt & pepper.
2) Beat potato mixture until light and fluffy on low speed. Pile lightly into a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3) Bring casserole out of the fridge 30 min before cooking. Bake, covered, in a pre-heated 325-degree oven about 1 hour or until heated through.
4) Toss breadcrumbs with with remaining 1 Tb of butter (melted) and sprinkle buttered crumbs over potatoes. Continue baking, uncovered, about 30 minutes longer.
(This recipe is an annual favorite of Seattle Times readers, and they’re asked to re-print it every year.)
I often do something similar with leftover mashed potatoes. If the potatoes need to be thinned a bit or if you are out of sour cream a little buttermilk or regular milk will also thin the leftover potatoes down a bit. Sometimes I add some grated cheese, chopped chives, and/or crumbled bacon to them as well.