This Spud's For You

Eww, what's that?

This may look like two
buckets of garbage
to you,
but to my ponies ...

... it's yummy stuff.

Each pony got the peelings from
5 lbs. of potatoes
and the syrup from a tall can of
sweet potatoes mixed with
his grain and supplements.

I tweaked my back yesterday
doing absolutely nothing.
Seriously, I sneezed.

So instead of being out with
the Boyz, I made
my Thanksgiving potato casserole.

In addition to being a family favorite,
it's also become a huge hit for our
potluck at work.

That's 10 lbs. of potatoes.
I use the biggest pot I've
got to make them.
They freeze well, so this
will be one less thing to do
the night before Thanksgiving.

I found this recipe in the
November 2002 issue of Southern Living magazine.
This dish has been on our Thanksgiving menu
every year since.

Even people who don't normally eat
sweet potatoes will come back for seconds.

The beer's for the cook.

Here's the recipe for a small batch.

— Baked Sweet & Savory Mashed Potatoes —
3.5 lbs. baking potatoes,
peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tbl salt, divided
1 (29-oz) can sweet potatoes in heavy syrup,
drained and mashed
1 (8 oz) pkg reduced fat cream cheese, softened
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
(Buy a bag of Hormel cooked crumbled bacon)
3/4 cup light sour cream
2/3 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp pepper
Garnish: more crumbled bacon

Bring potatoes, 1 tsp salt, and water to cover
to a boil in a Dutch oven;
cook 30 minutes or until tender.
Drain.
Return potatoes to Dutch oven.
Add sweet potatoes; mash until smooth
with a potato masher.
Stir in bacon, next 3 ingredients,
and remaining 2 tsp salt.
Spoon mixture into a lightly greased
11 x 7 baking dish.
Sprinkle top with more crumbled bacon.
Bake at 350˚ for 20 minutes.

I have three casserole dishes to freeze
and one to eat now.

Dinner tonight was bangers and mash.

After you've made the casserole a few times,
balance the ingredients to your own taste.
We use more sweet potatoes and more bacon.
I like them really creamy, so I
whip them with a mixer after mashing.
Best when served at least a day
after preparing.

They are majorly wonderful — enjoy!