My dad owned an Irish-style pub for years and was so devoted to making it the best pub he could that he periodically went to Ireland on \u201cbeverage research\u201d trips. I was lucky enough to go along on a few of these trips, helping my dad find small, family-owned establishments that he modeled his own pub after. He\u2019d sample their Guinness, chat with fellow publicans (pub owners), and share jokes and stories with the locals while I studied the pub menus and tasted the outstanding scratch-cooking of rural Ireland.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
One of my favorite meals we shared was in a pub in a small rural town in the west of Ireland. It had a traditional thatched roof, enormous fireplace with a smoldering peat fire, great pints of beer, and amazing food, including the best potatoes of any kind either of us had ever had.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
The ironic thing is, we didn\u2019t even order them. We had ordered a big lunch\u2014roast duck for my dad and apple-stuffed pork loin for me\u2014and just as we were tucking in, the server plunked down a large gratin dish of mashed potatoes swathed in cheddar, the edges still popping and spitting with butter. We protested, but were informed that they came with every entr\u00e9e. \u201cWow,\u201d I thought, \u201cthese really are my people.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
The mashed potatoes were molten hot, shot through with green onion, and contained what I guessed was roughly two tons of butter. They had a silky-smooth texture that was contrasted perfectly by the slightly crispy blanket of cheddar that was spread over the top. Sure, the entr\u00e9es were really very nice, but those mashed potatoes were a major bonding moment for me and my dad.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
As we rolled out of the pub at the end of lunch, I asked the owner how the mashed potatoes were made. \u201cOh, it\u2019s just the good potatoes, isn\u2019t it? Don\u2019t go buying \u2018em cheap,\u201d she advised. She proceeded to reveal some of their other mashed potato secrets, but only when I pressed her. She seemed so amused, making it sound as if it was the most obvious thing in the world\u2014so common, in fact, they gave them away for free. Those potatoes may have been an afterthought to them, but to me and my dad, they were everything.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been making these baked \u201cIrish-style\u201d mashed potatoes for almost 15 years now, and I still think of my dad and our little pub research trips every time I pull the glorious cheese-crowned casserole dish out of the oven. It\u2019s more than just good potatoes, but not much more.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
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Simply Recipes \/ Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek<\/p>\n
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Tips for Making This Irish Baked Mashed Potato Casserole <\/span> <\/h2>\n
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Buy high-quality, locally-grown potatoes for the best flavor. I like Yukon Golds, but German Butterball or Kennebec are great here, too.<\/li>\n
Boiling the potatoes with the skins on prevents them from becoming waterlogged when cooking and helps retain more of the flavor of the potatoes in the finished dish.\u00a0<\/li>\n
If your oven has a convection setting, this is a great time to use it to get the cheese extra-crispy. But if your oven doesn\u2019t have this option, you can broil the casserole at the end of cooking instead.<\/li>\n
Substitute any other melty cheese for the Irish cheddar if you prefer\u2014Gruy\u00e8re, fontina, Havarti, and smoked provolone all work well with this recipe.\u00a0<\/li>\n
If you\u2019re serving this casserole with roast beef, stir 3 tablespoons of creamed horseradish into the mashed potatoes along with the milk.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Making This Recipe Ahead <\/span> <\/h2>\n
To make this recipe ahead, prepare the recipe as directed but increase the milk to 1 1\/2 cups. Assemble the casserole through the end of step 5 as directed and let cool completely before covering and storing, unbaked, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow the casserole to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
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