Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth
3 pounds russet potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes – skins on or off, your choice
2 cloves garlic
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
½ cup cooked, diced bacon approximately 6 slices
¼ cup green onions diced

Instructions

Bring the chicken broth to boil on the stove in a large stock pot.
Once the broth is boiling, add the cubed potatoes and garlic cloves to the chicken broth and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
Remove ¼ cup chicken broth from the pot and set aside.
Drain the potatoes from the remaining chicken broth, then add them back to the pot, or transfer them to a large mixing bowl, with the reserved ¼ cup chicken broth, butter, sour cream, salt and pepper.
Use a handheld potato masher or electric hand mixer to mash the potatoes.
Once the potatoes are mashed, without any lumps remaining, add the cheddar cheese, chopped bacon and diced green onions. Gently stir to combine the ingredients, then serve.
Notes
After you’ve finished preparing the potatoes, to keep them warm, transfer them to a slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to warm and leave the mashed potatoes in there for up to 4 hours. Before serving them, I recommend stirring in 1/4 cup chicken broth or milk to make sure they’re still nice and creamy.
This recipe serves 6-8 people as a side dish. As a good rule of thumb, you always want to plan for about 1/2 pound of potatoes per person. If you want to double this recipe to serve 12-15 people at a holiday meal, simply click the 2X button above. The ingredient amounts will automatically update for the new serving size.
To peel or not to peel the potatoes? That’s totally up to you! I’ve made this recipe with skins on and off. Sometimes, I like the skin for a little texture and other times, I peel the skins to make the mashed potatoes perfectly smooth and creamy. I’ll let you make the call on your preference!
To make these potatoes vegetarian, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. And omit the added bacon.
These potatoes are naturally gluten free. Always make sure the chicken bouillon, or chicken broth, used is gluten free. While Knorr is not certified gluten free, it does not have any ingredients that contain gluten.
Store leftover loaded mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
To reheat them in the microwave, scoop a single portion of mashed potatoes onto a microwave-safe plate, or into a bowl, microwave for 1 minute, then stir in 1-2 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream and reheat for another minute.
To reheat them in the oven, place the mashed potatoes in an oven-safe dish. Cover with foil and place in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove and stir in 2-4 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream before serving

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