Mashed Potato Casserole with Sage and Fontina

Name: Mashed Potato Casserole with Sage and Fontina
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 8 - 10 Servings
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing; 3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces; u00bd cup cru00e8me frau00eeche; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; 1 tablespoon chopped sage plus 12 sage leaves; 8 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded; Kosher salt; Pepper; u2153 cup plain dry breadcrumbs; u2153 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; Olive oil, for frying

By Leslie Blythe Casserole, Cheese, Potatoes, Side dish, Vegetarian Baking, Boiling

June 14, 2017

There's no need to slave away making mashed potatoes at the last minute! This creamy, cheesy, crispy baked mashed-potato casserole is the perfect make-ahead dish. The potatoes get mashed with a creamy, tangy mix of crème fraîche, fontina, butter, parsley and sage. It's simply divine.

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45 mins
Yields: 8 - 10 Servings

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing

3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

½ cup crème fraîche

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped sage plus 12 sage leaves

8 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded

Kosher salt

Pepper

⅓ cup plain dry breadcrumbs

⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Olive oil, for frying

Directions

1Preheat the oven to 400° F.

2Lightly grease a 2-quart shallow baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes with 4 tablespoons of the butter, the crème fraîche, parsley and chopped sage. Fold in the Fontina and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potato mixture in the prepared dish in an even layer. 

3In a small bowl, using your fingers, blend the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan until coarse crumbs form. Top the potatoes with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and crisp on top. 

4Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat ¼ inch of olive oil over low heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sage to paper towels to drain. Scatter the fried sage over the casserole and serve. 

--MAKE AHEAD
The assembled unbaked casserole can be refrigerated overnight.

Recipe adapted from FOOD&WINE, by Melissa Clark, November 2016

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