Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes

with caramelized onions and fresh parmesan cheese

Tired of the same ole same ole when it comes to mashed potatoes? Then have no fear my friends because I whipped up this new favorite recipe of mine and it is a sure keeper. Mashed potatoes are a serious guilty pleasure of mine, a comfort food like no other. When I am sad, sick, mad, or just plain hungry, all I want are mashed potatoes. I can’t get enough of them, especially around the holidays. They are the quintessential classic side dish that makes my tummy flip for joy and be used as the perfect excuse to gorge on their creamy goodness of yum.

So why am I wasting my time changing a classic recipe into something new? Easy, I was bored and decided to change things up a bit. These are some seriously good potatoes. The red skin potatoes give this dish a nice rustic feel with a “rakish” air…or so Epicuruous claims. They harmonize nicely when blended with the Parmesan cheese and sweet caramelized onions. Red skin potatoes tend to work better when they aren’t overly fussed with, which is why I leave a little chunk to mine when cooking with them. Don’t like chunk, that’s OK, use a different potato, but I can assure you the taste won’t be the same. So go on and get a little wild and take that classic recipe and mash it up a bit.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of mini Red Skinned Potatoes
• 1 Large Onion, sliced thin
• 1 Small container of Sour Cream
• 1/2 c. of Milk or 1 small container of Plain Greek Yogurt (you may need more. Depends on your preference of how thick you want the mashed potatoes to be).
• 2 Tbsp. of Garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. Butter, softened
• 1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
• Fresh Parmesan Cheese, finely grated
• Salt/Pepper to taste (I tend to use a lot of pepper for these)
• Fresh Chive, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and pierce the potatoes with a knife and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (the potatoes should be tender when pierced with a fork).
3. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the caramelized onions. In a pan heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions along with some salt and pepper. Cook the onions until they begin brown. Once they are a medium dark brown, add in the apple cider vinegar. Cook for another 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the onions are caramelized. Remove from the stove and set aside.
4. Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. In a stand mixer, cream together the sour cream, butter, milk (or yogurt), garlic, and some fresh grated parmesan cheese I did about 1/3 a cup). Once the potatoes have rested add the potatoes and blend together. The potatoes should easily blend since they are soft from baking in the oven. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour the mashed potato mixture into an oven safe baking dish. Top with the caramelized onions and some more freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the Parmesan cheese is melted and the onions are nice and crispy.
7. Remove from the oven and garnish with some fresh chive.
8. Serve!