A simultaneously crispy and creamy method for making mashed potatoes in advance.
both before and after boiling. The goal is to remove as much of the starch on the cut surfaces of the potatoes as possible, since that starch is one of the main causes of gluey mashed potatoes.
Once the potatoes were cooked, I drained them and spread them out on baking sheets, then transferred them to a warm oven for several minutes to dry. I find this step important: After the excess moisture is removed, the potatoes are able to absorb more butter and cream before becoming thin and soupy.We only had a potato masher* in the office, so that's what I used in the photos here, but you can also rice the potatoes or pass them through a food mill.
Once the potatoes were mashed, I added the cream—adding it any earlier just led to a lot of sloshing and mess.It may look a little too wet at first, but once the cream is evenly mixed in, the mash should be soft but not too liquid-y.Then I scraped the mashed potatoes into a baking dish, smoothed the surface, covered it with plastic, and refrigerated it until ready to finish the casserole for serving.
To make a casserole topping that incorporates all those ingredients, I mixed panko bread crumbs with crispy diced bacon along with its rendered fat,About two hours before serving, I took the potatoes out of the refrigerator and let them stand at room temperature for about an hour, just to remove some of their extreme chill before putting them in the oven.
I distributed the topping all over the mashed potatoes and set the casserole in a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes until the potatoes were hot and the topping was browned.The result is a mashed potato casserole that can be made well in advance, and then reheated to produce light, fluffy and moist potatoes with a subtle sour-cream tang and flavorful crunchy topping that recalls the best fully loaded baked potatoes.