Recipe Of The Day!

I was doing my morning news-crawl when I ran across this recipe. Seeing as how the family will be at our place for the Thanksgiving feast, I squealed in delight and did a little jig. These taters will be a perfect time-saver, and they should be delicious!

MAKE-AHEAD POTATOES

You have to have mashed potatoes to go with all that luscious turkey gravy. For years, I played switcheroo with pans of side dishes just to find enough space on my stove to cook them all. Then, I discovered the following recipe for perfect mashed potatoes which can be made in advance. Now, all I do is pop these in the oven when I take out the turkey. By the time the bird rests and is carved, the potatoes are hot and fluffy.

9 medium-sized white potatoes (Idaho, russets or Yukon Golds)

6 ounces low-fat cream cheese at room temperature

1 cup low-fat or nonfat sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons onion salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons room temperature butter

Paprika for garnish

Peel and boil the potatoes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Add cream cheese, sour cream, onion salt, white pepper and melted butter. Beat with a mixer until fluffy. Place in a 2-quart casserole that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Dot with remaining butter. Cover and chill until ready to use.

To serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake casserole 30 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with paprika for garnish.

Serves 8.

Recipe adapted from "The Lucy Miehle Too Good To Be Lowfat But It Is Cookbook."