Wonderful recipe - use this easy-to-do potato dish for your next Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. This recipe is especially great when serving a crowd as it eliminates the mess and last-minute hassle of whipping potatoes. Mashing potatoes is not difficult, but it does take time. I use this recipe every Thanksgiving to save myself time. This is also a great potluck dish, as everyone loves mashed potatoes.

15 medium (5 pounds) potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons onion powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 egg whites, slightly beaten
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup chopped chives (optional)
 

Preparing Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes:

• Spray a large casserole dish or crockpot dish (if desired) with vegetable-oil cooking spray.
   
• In a large pot of boiling water over medium-high heat, cook potatoes until tender when pierced with a fork; remove from heat and drain.
   
• In the same cooking pan, mash potatoes with a potato masher, potato ricer, fork, or beat with electric hand mixer, mash potatoes until there are no lumps. NOTE: NEVER use a blender or food processor to make mashed potatoes (see below).
   
• Add cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt, pepper, egg whites, and chopped chives (if desired); blend well. Dot with butter.
   
• Cool mashed potatoes slightly, cover, and then refrigerate.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
• Take potatoes out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
   
• Bake, loosely covered, 40 minutes or until steaming hot in center. Remove from oven and serve immediately.
   

Crock-pot Variation: Cooking the prepared mashed potatoes in the crock-pot is a great way to keep the oven freed up for the other dishes. Take the prepared mashed potatoes out of refrigerator about 3-1/2 hours before serving time. Place in crock-pot. Cover and cook on low heat for approximately 3 hours, stirring once or twice. After potatoes are cooked, stir, and then add some additional dollops of butter just before serving.
 

Leftovers: If you have any leftover mashed potatoes, place them in a resealable plastic bag and freeze.

NOTE: These make-ahead mashed potatoes can be made up to a week ahead. If preparing ahead, place in an ovenproof baking dish, allow to cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate.

Makes 12 to 25 servings.
 

Frequent question asked by readers: Question: What causes mashed potatoes to become gooey and how can I prevent this from happening?   Question: Help! I've been making mashed potatoes all my life and have never had the problem I had today. I just made 5 pounds of mashed potatoes, using a ricer, and for the first time ever I ended up with gluey mashed potatoes. My ingredients were identical to what I always have used (potatoes, melted butter, scalded milk, salt, and pepper) but as soon as I added the butter to the riced potatoes, the potatoes became gluey. I tried to save them by using a blender and thinning with the milk but the problem intensified. Is there any way to save the potatoes or do I have to start over? Please answer as soon as possible. I have company coming tomorrow for dinner and time is of the essence.   Answers: Russet potatoes make the best mashed potatoes. Peel them and cut into equal-sized pieces. Boil and drain.   Dry over low heat for a few minutes. Mash with a potato masher, potato ricer, or an electric beaters. Do this very quickly so the potatoes will remain hot. Note: Gluey or gooey mashed potatoes are caused by vigorous over mashing, as anyone who has tried to make the side dish in a food processor can attest. When potatoes are boiled, their starch granules swell. If those granules are broken too vigorously, the cells release copious quantities of starch, resulting in a potatoes with the consistency of wallpaper paste. NEVER use a blender or food processor to make mashed potatoes. There are starch packets inside the potato cells and the blender blades rip right through them, releasing the starch and this makes the potatoes into library paste. The cells of the potato flesh contain a very fine starch. Mashing gently leaves most of the cells intact. Processing in a blender or a Food Processor acts like a cell homogenizer and releases all that starch into the liquid. Adding any liquid early just makes the process more efficient. Add one tablespoon butter (more or less if you like) for each two potatoes, and salt to your taste. Beat until the butter is melted. Then add milk or light cream that has been heated but not brought to a boil (if you add cold liquid, the potatoes will be cold and gummy). Beat the liquid into the potatoes to make a smooth, fluffy mixture. Add only enough liquid to make the mixture smooth, about one tablespoon for each potato. Do not over beat. they should be soft and moist, but firm enough to hold their shape.   All this should be done as quickly as possible so the potatoes never have a chance to get cold - that is the secret of delicious mashed potatoes! Question: For 20 people how many pounds of potatoes would you cook boiled for mashed potatoes?   Answer: Plan on 3/4 cup of mashed potatoes per person: 20 people x  ¾ (.75) cup =  15 pounds of mashed potatoes needed The equation:  1 ¼ (1.25) pounds boiled potatoes = 2 ½ (2.50) cups mashed potatoes = 3 1/3 (3.33) servings of mashed potatoes @ ¾ (.75) cup per person > 20 people divided by 3 1/3 (3.33) = 6 6 x 1 ¼ (1.25) lbs  =  7.5 lbs of raw or boiled potatoes   I hope I haven’t confused you too much, but you will need 7.5 lbs of raw or boiled potatoes.