Mashed Potato Cups

Late August and the last week of summer, officially, and I want to write about what this summer was: twenty-seven years old, pregnant with twins, married to Ryan, teaching, writing the blog, growing peppers, making mole from scratch, eating watermelon with Tajin at 11 PM because the babies wanted it. This was the summer. It was a very good summer.

I have started thinking about the recipes I want to document before the babies come — things I have been making for years that exist only in my head and in Ryan muscle memory from watching me and that need to be written down properly while I still have the energy and focus to do it. The bolognese. The potato pancakes. The pierogi, my version. The cookie formulas. I have been writing the blog for four years and have posted hundreds of recipes and I still have these core things that live in my hands rather than on the page. I am going to write them down this fall.

Babcia Rose came for Sunday dinner this week — Steve picked her up, she sat at the table at Patty and Steve and supervised everything and ate well and told me the twins would be healthy because I am eating enough kielbasa. I said I would eat more kielbasa. She said good. She looked at my stomach for a long moment and said: two is more work but two is better. I said I am starting to believe that. She said she was glad. She patted my hand. She asked when Steve was coming to get her. We have been having variations of this conversation for thirty years and I hope we have many more.

September in four days. September means: the anniversary, the school year in full stride, and the fall tipping into something. Fall means: the babies in November. November is twelve weeks away. Twelve weeks is nothing. Twelve weeks is everything. I am ready.

Sunday dinner with Babcia Rose always calls for something potato. She would accept nothing less, and honestly neither would I. These mashed potato cups are one of those recipes that started as a way to use up leftovers and became something we make on purpose now — crispy on the outside, creamy in the middle, the kind of thing you eat three of while standing at the counter and then sit down and eat two more. With twelve weeks to go and a whole fall of recipe-writing ahead of me, this one felt like the right place to start.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 12 cups

Ingredients

3 cups mashed potatoes (leftover or freshly made)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/3 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the base. In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, sour cream, eggs, flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth and well combined.
Add cheese and chives. Fold in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheddar and the chopped chives until evenly distributed.
Fill the cups. Divide the mixture evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Press gently with the back of a spoon to pack them lightly.
Top and bake. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar and the crumbled bacon over the tops. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the edges are golden and crispy and the tops are set.
Cool and serve. Let the potato cups cool in the pan for 5 minutes before running a knife around the edges and carefully lifting them out. Garnish with extra chives and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mashed Potato Cups — The Sunday Dinner Recipes I Need to Write Down