Could I really make mashed potatoes without a pot? These baked mashed potatoes are the easiest ever!

Mashed potatoes are pretty popular. I see recipes for them in cookbooks, magazines and all over social media. They go well with everything and are a wonderful blank slate with which to have some fun! In addition, they’re so easy to prepare.

I didn’t always agree with that statement. In the past, every single time I attempted mashed potatoes, I would follow the instructions exactly but the potatoes were always hard. No matter what I did or what trick I tried, they took forever to cook and get soft. I needed to babysit them, constantly checking on them, and peeling them afterward was a disaster. So I stopped making mashed potatoes. There were plenty of other delicious sides I could make; I didn’t NEED mashed potatoes.

That changed one night right before COVID Pesach, when I was knee-deep in cooking. I was preparing my capons — a recipe in My Pesach Kitchen cookbook — and I needed mashed potatoes but I did not have a pot available to make them. My boys love those capons, so I knew it wasn’t an option to skip. Out of desperation, I peeled and cubed a few potatoes, dumped them into a 9×13, added some water, covered it, stuck it in the oven and prayed.

Well, whaddya know!! They came out soft and delicious, and so easy to mash! And there was no need to wrestle a huge pot in the sink attempting to drain the liquid without losing potatoes down the drain.

And so one of my hacks was born — and baked mashed potatoes were happily added to my repertoire!

This is one of my most popular Pesach recipes on social media. While throughout the year I am constantly asked for it, I know we are in Pesach season when I get multiple requests a day.

You can use any form of fat in your mashed potatoes — oil, margarine, butter, meat gravy… While it may not sound so appealing, I actually love the creaminess mayonnaise gives them, and that’s what I usually use.

When mashing the potatoes, I like using a good ol’ fashioned potato masher. You can also use a food processor or immersion blender, though I find that those tend to make the potatoes goopy.

There are many additions you can use to elevate mashed potatoes. Try sauteed onions, roasted vegetables, roasted cubed pastrami or meat, etc.

I don’t recommend freezing these. They can be made up to three days in advance and stored in the fridge. If they seem a bit dry, add some more oil, mayonnaise or whatever fat you used when you made them before serving.

These mashed potatoes go well with my wine-braised-roast.

Smooth and Creamy Oven Baked Mashed Potatoes

Could I really make mashed potatoes without a pot?

Print Recipe

Ingredients

6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. fat (oil, mayonnaise, margarine, etc.)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place potatoes and water in a 9×13 pan. Cover tightly and bake for 1-1½ hours, until soft.
Remove pan from oven. Do not drain.
Add desired fat and salt and pepper to taste.
Mash until smooth, using a potato masher, food processor, or immersion blender.
Add any desired add-ins — fried onions, cubed meat, roasted veggies, etc.