Famous Mashed Potatoes

All of my life my mother has made these mashed potatoes. I'm not sure why they're "famous" per say, but in my family they are. Maybe it's because my mom made them with hungry jack potato flakes??

Well...I don't.

I feel like it's worth the extra 10 minutes of effort to boil the potatoes. The red skin potatoes specifically.


I used about 10 medium to large red skin potatoes. I completely peeled 6 of them and then spot peeled the remainder. I really wanted the boys to eat them so I didn't want too many skins, but it was wasted effort.

Bobby Flay taught me when boiling potatoes to put the raw potato in with the cold water. According to him, it makes the potato cook more evenly. So I do.

When potatoes are tender...

...drain.

This is where the magic happens.
My crusty old potato ricer.

Put the potatoes in.

See the pile of tine little shreds of potato? They're delicate and wonderful and unpasty.

Have you got your stuff together?
Cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, chives, salt and pepper.

Add a teaspoon of salt and about the same of fresh cracked pepper.

Add 1/2 cup Parmesan and a tablespoon or so of fresh snipped chives.
I really thought if my boys helped snip the chives they would want to eat the potatoes, but the helping thing didn't work this time.

Add 2 cups of cottage cheese. I used 1% small curd.
Stir very very gently and minimally.

Put it all in a baking dish. I did not grease it.

Top with a little more Parmesan cheese and some fried onion things.

Make at 350, until warm, bubbly and the onion rings have browned.

Famous Mashed Potatoes
10 medium to large red skin potatoes
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups cottage cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 Tbl fresh chives
1/2 cup french fried onion rings

Boil potatoes until fork tender.

Put each potato through a potato ricer, or mash very gently and roughly. Add half of Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, chives, salt and pepper. Stir gently until combined. Place in baking dish, top with reminder of cheese and onion rings. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.