Mashed Potato Casserole recipe

(I wrote this without reviewing... apologizes in advance for any typos, grammatical errors and/or spelling mistakes)

So... I'm not sure whether I can call this a casserole, but I used a casserole pan for this dish and when I look up the definition of "casserole" this fits the description... sort of ;). 

It is winter, and it is cold. We have a whole bag of potatoes that are starting to sprout so before they all go bad, I decided to improvise and make this dish. It is a messy put-together dish but it takes little effort to make. It is also beginner friendly! I tried to be as detail-oriented as I possibly can in my instructions for those who might not be as experienced in cooking so don't let the number of steps scare you.

This recipe will make your potatoes fluffy and full of flavour. I hope you will enjoy :) I also like how the potato skin gets mashed into the mix so you will hardly notice that you are eating it.

You can do this with any potatoes. I had large and medium ones. But any potatoes will work.

Olive Oil I used

Ingredients:

• potatoes (as many as you like, but 4 medium ones (10 small ones) would be enough)
• olive oil (enough to cover all the potatoes)
• steak seasoning* 
• shredded cheese (any kind of cheese works, I used a three-cheese mix)
• optional: butter

*if you don't have any steak seasoning and none is accessible to you, then you can make your own by combining garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, salt and spice/herb of your choice (e.g. dill seeds, rosemary, oregano... etc

Steak Seasoning from The Keg

utensils and equipment needed:

• a pot for boiling/simmering the potatoes
• a masher or bowl to mash or squish the potatoes
• a casserole pan (or an oven tray)
• an oven (I used a toaster/air fryer oven)

Instructions:

1. Boil water in a large pot
2. Prepare the potatoes by cleaning/scrubbing them or getting rid of any sprouts, but keep the skin
3. Put the clean potatoes into boiling water and boil for about 30 minutes (make sure the water is boiling the whole time). The potatoes will be ready when you can poke a fork through them but the fork can't hold the potato (as in, the potatoes will fall off the fork).
   
   
   
4. Take the potatoes out and set them on a tray (for the oven) or a casserole dish
5. Mash the potatoes (in the tray/casserole dish) with a bowl or masher until the height of the potatoes is slightly lower than the rim of the tray/dish
6. Let them set for about 5 minutes (to get rid of some of the moisture)
   
   
   
7. Preheat your oven to 230/240 degrees celsius (or 450 degrees Fahrenheit)
8. Pour a liberal amount of olive oil on the mashed-up potatoes. The potatoes will absorb the olive oil but you will not need to add more olive oil. 
9. You can also add butter after the olive oil but this is optional since we will be covering the whole dish with cheese.
10. Sprinkle steak seasoning on the potatoes and make sure most of the potatoes are covered with the seasoning.
11. Cover all the potatoes with a layer of shredded cheese. You can choose mozzarella or cheddar. I chose a three-cheese mix. A pizza cheese mix or taco cheese mix will also work.
    
    
    
12. Put the tray/casserole dish into the oven. Be careful, the potatoes are heavy and the tray/casserole will be hot. Do not cover the dish with aluminum or tin foil.
13. Leave in the oven for 20-30 minutes (depending on your oven's cook time)
14. When the cheese had bubbled and started to look "done" it is ready! You can choose how golden yellow or golden brown you want your cheese to look.

 ENJOY!