When it comes to setting an impressive holiday table, these easy Parmesan Roasted Mashed Potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes! You can use any mashed potatoes you like as the base, or try our creamy roasted garlic mashed potatoes for a flavorful addition.
These baked mashed potatoes are made magical with a quick (literally 1 minute) combination of melted butter, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and seasoning.
The crunchy topping combines with the creamy potatoes for an out of this world alternative to the standard dish of mashed potatoes during your Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings.
What I love the most about this version of baked mashed potatoes with cheese, is that it is super flexible! Whatever potatoes you have on hand can be cooked up this way. If you have leftover baked potatoes, the insides can be scooped out and mashed to become the perfect base for this cheesy crispy potato dish.
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🥘 Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- Russet Potatoes (large, or use 8-10 large Yukon potatoes - peeled and cut into large, even sized pieces)
- Unsalted Butter (¼ c or 8 tablespoon per stick of butter, 4 sticks - softened, room temperature)
- Heavy Cream (warmed - half & half or whole milk can be used)
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
- Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
- Parmesan Cheese (shredded or grated)
Parmesan Topping
- Butter (melted)
- Bread Crumbs (or Panko)
- Parmesan Cheese (shredded or grated)
- Parsley (fresh, chopped)
🔪 Instructions
Mashed Potatoes
- Boil the potatoes. Place peeled, cut potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a rapid boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes pieces are tender (just turned tender, do not over cook as the pieces will take on water).
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Drain and mash. Drain cooked potatoes into a colander. While potatoes are hot, push them through a fine sieve or use a ricer to mash into a clean pan or large bowl. Alternately you can use a large fork to mash or a handheld mixer.
- Add butter and cream. Slowly stir in butter (in 1 Tablespoon pats) until melted and incorporated, then add warmed cream.
- Season, stir-ins, and transfer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in mozzarella and Parmesan cheese then transfer into a baking dish.
Parmesan Topping
- Melt butter and combine. In a small bowl, melt butter in 30 second increments in the microwave. Add breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley (reserve half of the parsley if you want some for garnish after baking).
- Add topping and bake. Sprinkle topping over your mashed potatoes. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
Easy Tips For The Most Perfect Mashed Potatoes:
- Choose a good type of potato (Russet or Yukon - see below for my preferred potato for mash).
- Cut your potatoes into large chunks. This will help to prevent the pieces from absorbing too much water while boiling.
- Keep your potatoes hot! Whether you are mashing or ricing your boiled potatoes, keeping them hot during the mashing process is important for maintaining a creamy texture.
- Add butter first. The fat should be added to potatoes before any liquid. This helps to maintain the firmness of the potato, before softening potatoes with milk or cream.
- Use a quality butter that you like the flavor of, and using unsalted butter is recommended so that you can control the amount of flavor of your mash.
- Have heavy cream of hand for your holiday cooking. We prefer heavy cream in our potatoes, half and half or whole milk will work but this is our recommendation.
- Scalded milk or cream is the absolute best! Heat your cream or milk before adding to the mashed potatoes, then add only enough to achieve your desired mashed potatoes consistency.
What Are The Best Potatoes For Mashing?
This is a big controversy! However, your choice of the perfect potatoes for your mash are very dependent on your flavor preferences and the purpose of your dish.
High starch potatoes are best. Period. Russet (or Idaho) potatoes have the best consistency for mashing, and will absorb the butter and cream very well.
Yukon Gold potatoes are argued to be the best for mashed potatoes by many, but I still advocate the Russet variety for best mashed potatoes consistency.
Other potatoes, such as Red potatoes, offer more flavor than Russet or Yukon potatoes but have a waxy texture that will easily result in gluey mashed potatoes. I like to use these for other recipes, such as a hearty beef stew, or in combination with Russet potatoes (50/50 mix for more flavor).
🦃 Other Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Dishes
- Oven Roasted Turkey
- Classic Turkey Gravy
- Skillet Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Candied Yams
- Smoked Turkey
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Oat Rolls
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📖 Recipe Card
Parmesan Roasted Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 8 large russet potatoes (large, or use 8-10 Yukon potatoes - peeled and cut into large, even sized pieces)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks - softened, at room temperature)
- ¾ cup heavy cream (warmed - half & half or whole milk can be used)
- ¼ teaspoon each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
Parmesan Topping
- 4 tablespoon butter (melted)
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (shredded or grated)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (fresh, chopped)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Mashed Potatoes
- Place peeled, cut potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a rapid boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes pieces are tender (just turned tender, do not over cook as the pieces will take on water).
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Drain cooked potatoes into a colander. While potatoes are hot, push them through a fine sieve or use a ricer to mash into a clean pan or large bowl.
- Slowly stir in butter (in 1 tablespoon pats) until melted and incorporated, then add warmed cream.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in mozzarella and Parmesan cheese then transfer into a baking dish.
Parmesan Topping
- In a small bowl, melt butter in 30-second increments in the microwave. Add breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley (reserve half of the parsley if you want some for garnish after baking).
- Sprinkle topping over your mashed potatoes. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately.
Marc Rizaulait says
Would not change a detail. Excellent recipe!
Anonymous says
These were absolutely amazing! I only used one stick of butter in the potatoes and used a tad more than suggested in the topping. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Kathy says
What else can go with pork potato and what other vegetable or a salad go together
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
As well as these tasty potatoes? Many ideas for what to serve with pork are shared in this post. Enjoy!
Jessica says
These were delicious, will make again. Heads up on the butter conversions listed in the ingredients, a stick of butter is equivalent to 1/2c, not 1/4. So you’d only need 2 sticks. Although using 4 would get super interesting 🙂
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Doh! I do love math! 🙂 That's fixed in the recipe card now, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the mashed potatoes!
Shelley says
I made this recipe tonight for my family and it was amazing! Absolutely delicious!