Free up valuable oven space this holiday season with an unforgettable side dish: Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes. These exceptional mashed potatoes are exquisitely tangy and brimming with savory garlic flavor, thanks to the delightful addition of herb goat cheese. Their fluffy texture and irresistibly delicious taste are guaranteed to impress your guests, ensuring they’ll come back for second — and perhaps even third — servings! Elevate your holiday meal effortlessly with this ingenious and mouthwatering recipe.
Planning your holiday feast? Don’t forget the BEST green bean casserole, made entirely from scratch. It’s super easy and promises a delicious complement to your main course!
As the holiday season approaches, the kitchen often becomes the most bustling room in the house. Preparing a grand meal, especially for Thanksgiving or Christmas, can feel like a culinary marathon. One of the biggest challenges for any home cook is managing precious oven space. With turkeys roasting, casseroles bubbling, and pies baking, finding room for every side dish can become a strategic puzzle. That’s where the brilliance of slow cooker recipes truly shines, and these Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes are a shining example of holiday cooking innovation.
Imagine this: a creamy, dreamy batch of mashed potatoes, simmering gently to perfection, entirely outside of your oven. This simple switch can revolutionize your holiday cooking experience, allowing you to focus on other elements of your meal without the added stress of juggling multiple dishes in a crowded oven. Beyond just saving space, the slow cooker method ensures your mashed potatoes stay consistently warm and wonderfully moist, ready to serve the moment your guests arrive. This hands-off approach gives you more time to spend with loved ones, making your holiday celebrations even more enjoyable.
Still mapping out your holiday menu? I sincerely hope you haven’t finalized it just yet, because these Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes deserve a prominent spot. They aren’t just a side dish; they’re a centerpiece of flavor and convenience that will simplify your meal preparation and undoubtedly become a new family favorite. Get ready to impress with minimal effort and maximum taste!
Potatoes, in some form, are an indispensable part of almost any memorable dinner, whether it’s a festive holiday gathering, a cozy family dinner, or a casual weeknight meal. Their versatility is unmatched; they can be baked alongside a steak, served au gratin with pork chops, or mashed to perfection with classic meatloaf. Potatoes effortlessly adapt to any preparation – baked, broiled, grilled, fried, or steamed – consistently delivering delicious results. So, it’s no surprise that when planning a holiday feast, potatoes, particularly in their comforting mashed form, are usually a given on the menu.
For years, my go-to recipe for the holidays has been Pioneer Woman’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes. Her recipes, with their signature buttery richness, frequently grace my dinner tables, always delivering pure culinary joy. However, this year, I was determined to try something new, primarily driven by a desire to free up precious oven space. After the turkey finishes roasting, there’s always a mad dash to get all the side dishes cooked and ready, and typically, most of them require oven time. My goal for this year was to harness the power of my slow cooker, reclaiming at least one valuable spot in the oven and streamlining the holiday cooking process.
(Just look at that bowl of deliciousness – you could just face plant right in!)
Now, let me share a valuable lesson from a kitchen mishap I encountered while perfecting this recipe. My first attempt at these Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes involved Yukon Gold potatoes, which are known for their delicious, creamy texture. However, after they cooked beautifully in the slow cooker, I made a critical error: I over-pulverized them with an immersion blender. Take it from me now: do *not* use an immersion blender for mashed potatoes unless you desire a gluey, paste-like consistency. The starch in potatoes, when vigorously agitated, releases and creates a gummy, unappetizing texture. Despite their initial delicious flavor, the gumminess was simply too much to salvage. This kitchen “fail” taught me the importance of the right tools and technique.
Round two began with red potatoes, and they proved to be the perfect choice. What I particularly adore about red potatoes is their delicate skin. When making mashed potatoes with them, I always opt to leave the skin on. Not only does it add a beautiful speckle of color, but it also contributes a fantastic texture and a rustic charm that truly enhances the dish. Once the red potatoes were perfectly tender from their slow cooker bath, I mashed them gently with a traditional potato masher, intentionally leaving them somewhat lumpy. I personally prefer a mashed potato with a bit of texture over a completely smooth or soupy one, and after my previous experience, I was keen to avoid a repeat of the over-processed result. After achieving that ideal lumpy consistency, I folded in the softened herb goat cheese, a hint of fresh thyme, and just enough warm milk to reach the desired creaminess. Everything was stirred together until perfectly combined, and voilà! What emerged were creamy, textured, irresistibly delicious, and fluffy Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes. Bingo!
Do you see those delightful areas of creamy white goodness? That, my friends, is the star ingredient: herb goat cheese, and it is simply *good*! I confess, I have a deep love for goat cheese – or any cheese, for that matter – but the distinctive tanginess and creaminess of goat cheese make it truly special. I’m one to slather it on everything from morning toast to savory wraps and sandwiches. I understand, however, that not everyone shares my passionate fondness for goat cheese. If its unique flavor isn’t quite your preference, you can easily substitute it with garlic and herb cream cheese or a savory chive and onion cream cheese. Both alternatives would yield equally delicious results in these slow cooker mashed potatoes, ensuring everyone at your table can enjoy this fantastic side dish.
Oh, and did I mention these mashed potatoes are packed with garlic? As I’ve mentioned before in my post for the best green bean casserole, in our house, you can truly never have enough garlic. These mashed potatoes are certainly no exception! They feature fresh cloves of garlic cooked right in with the potatoes, plus an extra layer of garlicky goodness from the herb goat cheese itself. Despite this double dose of garlic, I wouldn’t describe them as overwhelmingly garlicky. The flavors are beautifully balanced, so feel completely comfortable inviting over your mother-in-law, even if she isn’t garlic’s biggest enthusiast. I have a strong feeling she’ll still adore these creamy, flavorful potatoes. The slow cooking process mellows the garlic, creating a wonderfully aromatic, rather than sharp, flavor profile.
These Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes are definitely on my Thanksgiving menu this year, and I wholeheartedly believe they should be on yours too. They offer the perfect blend of rich flavor, delightful texture, and unbeatable convenience. Trust me, you and your guests are going to absolutely love them! This recipe isn’t just a side dish; it’s a strategic move to ensure a smoother, more enjoyable holiday cooking experience without compromising on taste or quality.
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Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Prep Time:
Cook Time:
Total Time:
Author: Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
Yields: 9 servings
Free up space in your oven this holiday season with these Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes. They’re tangy and full of garlic flavor from the herb goat cheese, fluffy and irresistibly delicious. They’re sure to have your guests going back for seconds!
Ingredients
- 3 lbs small red potatoes, scrubbed clean and quartered.
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 ounces garlic and herb goat cheese, softened
- 1/4-1/2 cup milk, warmed
Instructions
- Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Add potatoes, garlic, oil, salt and water to the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours, gently mash the potatoes with a potato masher until desired consistency (slightly lumpy is recommended).
- Warm the milk to about lukewarm temperature.
- Add the softened goat cheese and warmed milk to the mashed potatoes. (Start with 1/4 cup milk; you may need more for a softer consistency.)
- Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated and the potatoes are creamy.
- Serve immediately or turn the slow cooker down to LOW to keep warm for up to an additional 2 hours.
Notes
Adapted from Pillsbury Slow Cooker Smashed Red Potatoes
Courses: Side Dish
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 9 servings
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
Calories 186 | ||
% Daily Value | ||
Total Fat 8 g | 12% | |
Saturated Fat 3 g | 15% | |
Cholesterol 9 mg | 3% | |
Sodium 342 mg | 14% | |
Total Carbohydrates 23 g | 8% | |
Dietary Fiber 2 g | 8% | |
Sugars 2 g | ||
Protein 5 g | 10% | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
I truly hope you have a fabulous week ahead filled with delicious meals and joyful moments. These Slow Cooker Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes are designed to bring ease and flavor to your table, making every meal a celebration. Stay tuned, because I’ve got three more fantastic Thanksgiving day recipes coming your way next week, which will complete our holiday recipe series for the year. After that, we’ll dive headfirst into the exciting world of Christmas cooking!