Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

The Fourth of July is Thursday and I am hosting again — the annual barbecue, the flag on the porch, the corn on the cob, the grandchildren in the backyard. The hosting is unchanged. The guest list is unchanged. The only change is the chair that is not on the porch, the man who is not at the grill, the husband who is ten miles away in Cedarhurst and who I visited at one-thirty instead of two o'clock because the barbecue starts at four and I needed to be home to light the charcoal. I told Marvin I was having a barbecue. He said, "That sounds nice." I said, "I wish you were there." He said, "I'm here." He said it simply, without sadness, without the awareness that "here" is a room in a facility and not a backyard in Oceanside. He is here. He is where he is. The "here" is not the here I would choose. But the here is his, and the accepting of his here is part of my here, and the two heres are what we have.

I made the potato salad and the coleslaw and the flag cake and the corn. The grandchildren ran in the yard and the neighbors came and the flag was on the porch and Irving would have approved of the flag and Sylvia would have approved of the coleslaw and Marvin would have approved of everything because Marvin approves of everything now, which is both the mercy and the grief.

The potato salad I made this year was fine — it always is — but when the grandchildren started picking at the mashed potatoes I’d put out as a second side, I realized this is the dish that actually holds a barbecue table together. Cream cheese is the thing I started adding years ago, after Marvin mentioned they seemed richer than usual and looked genuinely pleased. I kept doing it. Some things you keep doing because they work, and because the person who first noticed is worth continuing to please, even now, even from ten miles away in Oceanside.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
8 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pats
1/2 cup whole milk or half-and-half, warmed
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for boiling water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Boil the potatoes. Place the potato chunks in a large pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook 18—22 minutes, until a fork slides through a chunk with no resistance. Drain well and return to the pot.
Dry the potatoes. Set the pot over low heat for 1—2 minutes, shaking gently, to evaporate excess moisture. This keeps the mash from turning watery.
Mash and combine. Remove from heat. Using a potato masher or ricer, mash the potatoes until mostly smooth. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter. Mash and stir until fully incorporated and the cream cheese has melted through.
Adjust consistency. Pour in the warm milk gradually, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, until you reach your preferred texture. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the black pepper, and garlic powder if using. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl, make a shallow well in the center, and add an extra pat of butter if desired. Garnish with chives or parsley. Serve immediately, or keep warm covered in a low oven (200°F) for up to 45 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes — The Dish That Holds a Barbecue Together