Holiday Potatoes--Sweet and Mashed (Paw Paw's Taters)

Hello My lovelies.....

I thought I would post a few of my favorite holiday recipes and I will start with potatoes!

I tried the sweet potato recipe from The Pioneer Woman last year and my family all agreed that it was divine and we never missed the marshmallow topped version of sweet potatoes.

The link to her printable recipe is here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/if_you_think_you_dont_like_sweet_potatoesthink_again/

Sweet Potatoes
Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 10

Ingredients
4 whole Medium Sweet Potatoes
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Pecans
½ cups Flour
¾ sticks Butter
Preparation Instructions
Wash 4 medium sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 30-35 minutes. When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.
Add 1 cup of (regular granulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt. With a potato masher, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth.
Now, in a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, chopped (that means measure a cup of pecans, then chop them), ½ cup flour, and ¾ stick of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.
Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.
Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.



And my favorite Mashed Potato recipe is Paw Paw's Taters. My grandfather, who, we call Paw Paw, made these one year and we all wanted to lick the plate....hence the name!

The link to the original post is here http://thebeautifulbasics.blogspot.com/2008/09/recipe-paw-paws-taters.html

And here is what I wrote....

Paw Paw's Taters

Pretend like you are going to make regular old mashed potatoes (which, by the way, you will never want again after you have them Paw Paw's way). So, take potato pearls, potato flakes, or actual real potatoes and cook 'em up! Now, all you do is add a block of cream cheese (use Neufchatel if you want 1/3 less fat) and a medium sized container of sour cream (fat free or lite is a-okay as well!) and mix them up with the potatoes. If you are making a wee amount (aka, single or double serving) then use far less this would probably be enough for an 8X12 pan. Now that it is all mixed and fabulous...add salt and pepper to taste and then put in the dish and spread out. Now top with some pats of butter and sprinkle with paprika and put in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It is SO YUM! In fact, I may need to run home and make some tonight! (By the way, I know I spell Potato(e) the old fashioned way, but I just like it better that way!)

I also have started adding about a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash when I am mixing it together and calling it Herb Party Potatoes (in the formal setting) or just Herb Paw Paw's Taters.

Other variations....
add some shredded cheese for Cheesy Taters
add some mashed sweet potatoes for Potato Delight Taters
add some bacon bits, cheese and chives for Twice Baked Taters
really, the possibilities are ENDLESS!

I will try to make the above mentioned dish and post a pic soon!

Recipe-Paw Paw's Taters

Now, my mother would tell you the name of this dish is Party Potatoes....but the kids in my family call it Paw Paw Tater's!

Why you ask? Because one year for either Thanksgiving of Christmas, we went to my grandparents house for lunch to have the traditional meal. Well, my grandmother's health had started to deteriorate but that did not stop them from hosting this fabulous dinner. So, what did my wonderful grandfather do??? He made everything HIMSELF! Now, I am not shy to tell you that I have NEVER seen my Paw Paw in the kitchen, much less cooking....so the fact that he went to the effort to prepare almost the entire meal is just astounding to me...and to top it off...it was UBER YUMMY! Really, my dear old Paw Paw made a feast for the ages....and Paw Paw's Taters were born!

Its simple....

Pretend like you are going to make regular old mashed potatoes (which, by the way, you will never want again after you have them Paw Paw's way). So, take potatoe pearls, potatoe flakes, or actual real potatoes and cook 'em up! Now, all you do is add a block of cream cheese (use Neufchatel if you want 1/3 less fat) and a medium sized container of sour cream (fat free or lite is a-okay as well!) and mix them up with the potatoes. If you are making a wee amount (aka, single or double serving) then use far less this would probably be enough for an 8X12 pan. Now that it is all mixed and fabulous...add salt and pepper to taste and then put in the dish and spread out. Now top with some pats of butter and sprinkle with paprika and put in the oven for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It is SO YUM! In fact, I may need to run home and make some tonight! (By the way, I know I spell Potato(e) the old fashined way, but I just like it better that way!)

I also have started adding about a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash when I am mixing it together and calling it Herb Party Potatoes (in the formal setting) or just Herb Paw Paw's Taters.

Other variations....
add some shredded cheese for Cheesy Taters
add some mashed sweet potatoes for Potatoe Delight Taters
add some bacon bits, cheese and chives for Twice Baked Taters
really, the possibilities are ENDLESS!

I will try to make the above mentioned dish and post a pic soon!

UPDATED TO ADD--Add Butter too! I usually put a few pats of butter on the top before I bake it! (Thanks Linz)