I really struggled with what to make when a Baked Dip won the poll last week. I know a few very good baked dips, but I feel like a lot of people kind of know all of the same baked dips. I wanted to try something a bit new.
I had some potatoes left over from the deep fry party and mashed potatoes just happen to be one of my favorite foods so I thought I would try my hand at coming up with a mashed potato dip. My idea was to mash up the potatoes with all kinds of goodies and then bake them with cheese and scallions and bacon on top.
This dip is ready for some football.
Great potatoes = good dip.
My main concern with this dip was texture. I didn’t want it to have the texture of mashed potatoes which I knew was going to be hard considering that it was basically mashed potatoes. I tried to make it more “dip-like” by mixing in a good amount of cream and cream cheese.
Obviously, if you don’t like mashed potatoes, I wouldn’t recommend this guy. But who doesn’t like mashed potatoes?!
Baked Mashed Potato Dip
Fills a 9X9 baking dish- 5 Russet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1.5 Cups heavy cream
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch scallions, minced and separated (greens and whites)
- 1/2 Pound bacon, diced
- 6 ounces cheddar cheese
- 1/2 Teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
- Butter (just for buttering the baking dish)
Cooking the potatoes. Get a large pot of water boiling with about 1 Tablespoon of salt per gallon of water in it. Peel and chop your potatoes until you have this:
Easy chopping.
Once your water is boiling, throw them in and forget about them for about 12 minutes or until a knife very easily slices a larger piece.
Then drain the potatoes and add them to a bowl.
Hot potato!
While your potatoes are cooking you can do some other things like chop the scallions, cook the bacon, and grate the cheese. Remember to keep your scallions separated into white and green.
I decided to mix the white parts in with the potatoes and use the greens as a topping. Worked great!
Keep them separated.
Once your potatoes are cooked, add your onions, garlic, cream cheese, cream, and cayenne to the mashed potatoes and mix them up. I used a hand held mixer to get the potatoes really smooth. You could do it by hand though with a fork if you want (don’t mind) a chunkier final product. Don’t forget to taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
Some of you may note that there is no butter in the actual mashed potatoes which I would normally consider blasphemy. With all of the cream and cream cheese, I thought butter might be overkill. Feel free to add a bit though if you just can’t handle it.
Pretty creamy.
Finishing the Dish. Add your potatoes to a 9X9 baking dish that has been lightly buttered. Top with a good amount of shredded cheese!
Dip with cheese.
And of course those green scallions and bacon. I only baconized half my dish because Jeff wanted some also (vegetarian). The 1/2 pound in the recipe will be more than enough though to baconize the entire dish.
On the bacon, I sauteed mine in a skillet for a few minuted after I minced it up. Remember that it will crisp up even more in the oven so don’t over-cook it originally or it will just burn.
Ready for a bake.
The dip needs to bake for about 30 minutes at 350 or until the cheese is gooey and bubbly.
You could serve this with a variety of chips, toasted baguettes, or heck even just a few spoons.
Pretty good!
A few notes on this dip:
1) It was really good and the texture was pretty close to what I wanted. If anyone has any ideas on how to add a bit more creaminess (dippiness) to it, leave a comment!
2) I think it’s a pretty flexible dip. You could add anything that you would add to a baked potato and it would be delicious. That includes broccoli, fresh herbs, and various other kinds of cheese. I’m sure I’m missing some possible add-ins.
3) I think I may start a movement to always add cream cheese to mashed potatoes. Don’t tell anybody I said this, but it might be better than butter.
4) I ate this on night one as a dip and on night two as just mashed potatoes. Awesome both ways.
If anybody tries this or can think of improvements, leave a comment!
What if you used sour cream instead of cream cheese? I usually put it in my mashed ‘taters because it adds a nice tang, and it isn’t quite as solid as cream cheese so it might make for a smoother final product. A final product which, by the way, is making me drool.
Your blog is making me fat. And happy.
this isn’t fattening right? lol
I will try adding a package of Ranch dressing mix. I love the flavor it gives dishes, you don’t taste “Ranch”, just adds something. I put it in my taco soup and it is yummy. Just an idea!
Jillian
Ha! yea… This may not be the healthiest thing I’ve ever made. But it’s football season!
Don’t worry, I have few healthy dishes coming up next week ;)
This looks fantastic! What a great idea!
The texture of this dip in the photo looks perfect for dipping. If it was “creamier” it might slip right off the chip.
I wouldn’t change a thing!
That is just so WRONG and I can’t wait to try it.
I was just thinking to myself about how crazy amazing this was, but not really into the tortilla chip to dip with when it dawned on me that you could possibly take the potato skins and crisp them up somehow and use them as chips! I may have to steal..errr borrow this one sir!
i wonder if you used a ricer or a food mill on the potatoes if you’d get a creamier consistency. I love creamy mashed potatoes and my food mill is always the best remedy for chunkiness.
Great idea. What a delicious looking dip. I voted for baked dip and I had no idea you would come up with something really original. Good job!!
YUM! I love mashed potato and this dip looks great. The thing I love the most is the orange cheese – I haven’t been able to find orange cheese in Australia, the closest I can get is a colby-type cheese. It looks delicious.
I bet you’re right–broccoli would have been awesome with this. Like parboiled broccoli for dipping.
I would agree with Adrienne about the sour cream, or you could add some butter and omit the cream cheese (which would eliminate some stiffness). Saving the cream cheese for actual mashed potatoes, of course! Another idea would be to add more cream, or even whole milk (I always use whole milk for my mashed taters). The more liquid you add the creamier it will be. Or any combination of the above…. ;-)
I like Dan’s idea of potato skin dips! Awesome!
Yea maybe the sour cream would help. Sometimes sour cream doesn’t bake as well as cream cheese though… But it might work because of all the regular cream and everything.
Honestly, it was pretty good as is, but there was definitely room for improvement. ;)
Thanks for the comments everyone.
Dude, I’ve been back to just fantasize about this dip like 8 times since you posted it. I canNOT make this – I will NOT share it. It will be baaaaad. And yet….
That, Nick, is a thing of beauty.
hi!
i stumbled accross this website and i’m so glad i did! i just moved and had a huge potluck with some friends over the weekend, and this was the dish i made (along with your sweet potato hummus), and it was GONE within ten minutes!
i subsituted the cream cheese with sour cream, and the consistency was PERFECT!
this is definitely something i’ll be making again.
thanks!
Mr. Atkins is rolling over in his grave haha!
And another thing…stop giving away all my secrets. First, you let everyone know that the tentacles are the best part of the squid (shame on you) and now you have leaked my secret mashed potato ingredient, cream cheese.
[...] it, but this round I just used dried thyme and basil, about a teaspoon each. Drizzle with about a ¼ cup of heavy cream. Using one of the most fabulous inventions of all time—the hand potato masher—mash mash [...]
In your pictures, it looks like you have sprinkled some sort of spice on the chees…. Is this just a red ppepper?
Alright don’t immediately dismiss this, but have you ever considered adding pureed rutabaga to mashed potatoes? They add a superior level of smoothness and interesting flavor. Personally I HATE the rutabaga, it is more despised by me even more than the disgusting brussels sprout; but I had mashed potatoes prepared this way once at a friends house and have made it several times since.
I had to experiment with the amount of puree to actually add to the potatoes, and finally decided that one quarter rutabaga to every three quarters pound of potatoes is about right. I don’t eat dairy (excepting occasional small amounts of butter and cheese) so discovering this made it possible to make smooth creamy mashed potatoes without the use of milk or cream. It really does make the potatoes really creamy and smooth.
I think I have an answer for you on making this ‘dippier’. Depends on what texture you want to add… if it’s gooeyness, then add a big handful of shredded Mozzarella to the potato mixture. If it’s creaminess you desire… then make your cream into a white sauce first and then add to the potato. (Maybe add some Parm cheese as well?)
Mmmmmm!
Thank you! I happen to collection all kinds of methods for baked potatoes, this is useful!