Company Mashed Potatoes are a dish that is easy to make ahead of time and full of rich, indulgent flavors and are the perfect side dish for special occasions.
These mashed potatoes are buttery, creamy with a bit of texture, have a slight tang from the cream cheese and sour cream AND are topped with the most delicious toppings.
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They are truly magical and so much fun to make and eat! The topping you choose is completely up to you or you can mix and match different combinations of flavors to make your perfect topping.
In this recipe for Company Mashed Potatoes, I'll share my two favorite toppings. You don't have to choose either, simply put one topping on one half of the mashed potatoes and the other topping on the other half.
Frequently Asked Questions
That depends on who you ask. The term "company potatoes" can mean different things to different people. I've also heard people call them funeral potatoes. There are so many different versions, some calling for frozen hash browns instead of whole potatoes.
Some versions have creamed soups or spicy seasonings, some use diced or sliced potatoes, some have cheese, and some don't. When it comes to making company potatoes, there aren't any hard and fast rules.
Simply make the potato dish that you and your company will love! This version of company potatoes is a flavorful mashed potato recipe topped with 2 different toppings and then baked. It's truly magical.
I've tested this recipe using 1-1½ pounds of potatoes and the only change I made besides cutting all the ingredients in half was using ¼ cup of chicken stock for the liquid. This is the bare minimum amount of liquid I would use.
For 3 pounds of potatoes, I used ⅓ cup of chicken stock, so for 5-6 pounds of potatoes, I would increase that to ½ cup. I would also increase the natural release time to 10 minutes, so that you don't have starch water spewing out of the valve.
Other than that, simply increase or decrease the other ingredients as needed for the amount of potatoes you want.
If you are doing the entire dish in the Ninja Foodi, the topping amounts will not change, even if you are doubling or cutting the recipe in half. If you are transferring the potatoes to a casserole dish, the amount of topping you want will depend on the size of the dish. You want to cover all of the potatoes with a thin layer of the topping or toppings you choose.
What leftovers? Just kidding, but they are so delicious that they are usually the first to go!
Yes, you can definitely freeze the leftovers. Because of the fat and moisture content in the these potatoes, they will freeze just fine.
I usually remove the topping before freezing, but that isn't absolutely necessary. I just like to put a fresh topping on when heating them up so they are just like they were just made.
Make sure the potatoes are completely cool before freezing. I usually let them sit in the refrigerator overnight and then freeze them the next day.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Potatoes
I used white potatoes for this recipe, but any type of potato will work. You can even use a combination of potatoes. The type of potato used will play a big role in the texture of your company potatoes.
I find that using all Yukon Gold potatoes in mashed potatoes leads to heavier mashed potatoes than using Russet potatoes, but a combination of Russet and Yukon Gold works great. I would cut the Yukon Gold slightly smaller than the Russets so they break down easier when you go to mash them. Creamer potatoes would also work fine.
You can even use the small white or red potatoes and leave the skins on. Your mashed potatoes will be a little chunkier, but delicious.
You can choose to peel or not to peel the potatoes, no matter which kind you use. That is simply a personal preference.
Bacon
The bacon in this recipe is completely optional and the slice that I use when pressure cooking the potatoes is only there for flavor. You can skip it or add in something else for added flavor. A small ham hock would work. A smoked turkey wing would bring some delicious flavor into the mashed potatoes.
Cheese, Butter & Sour Cream
These company mashed potatoes are indulgent! They are loaded with butter, cheeses, and a bit of sour cream. The amounts or types of cheeses you use is completely up to you. I used a sharp cheddar cheese, salted butter, and sour cream, but you could use swiss cheese, parmesan cheese, or go spicy with pepper jack cheese.
If you wanted to cut back on the butter, you absolutely can, but keep in mind, it is a liquid when heated, so you will want to increase the chicken stock a little if cutting back on the butter.
The cream cheese and sour cream can be omitted or adjusted to your liking, but you will need to add other liquid so you have creamy mashed potatoes. I would use some heavy cream in place of the sour cream or cream cheese.
You could also add Boursin Cheese in place of the cream cheese.
Seasonings
I used basic salt and pepper in this recipe, along with celery and onion that is finely diced. You can skip the onion and use a little onion powder or onion salt if you prefer. The celery is completely optional, but it adds a nice subtle flavor that I really enjoyed in the potatoes.
You could also use caramelized onions instead of diced onions which would bring another layer of flavor to the dish.
If you wanted to add a garlic flavor, I would add in ½-1 whole garlic bulb (peeled and the cloves smashed) in before pressure cooking. This will give a creamy garlic flavor without being too overpowering. You can also sauté some minced garlic using sear/sauté before adding in the potatoes.
Toppings
I couldn't decide on toppings, so I made two different ones. You can get so creative here and make the topping that you and your family will love. Or, you can skip the topping all together and just eat the delicious mashed potatoes which are wonderful on their own!
The basics for the topping you choose will be to have enough of it to cover the entire top of the potatoes, and that will vary depending on if you are going to bake it in the Foodi or transfer it to a different casserole dish for serving. You will need to adjust the topping ingredients accordingly.
It takes about 1½-2 cups of topping to cover the top of the potatoes in the Ninja Foodi.
Here are some suggestions for toppings and you can mix and match to create the topping you will love!
- green onions
- extra bacon
- cheese of any variety
- potato chips
- caramelized onions
- crispy potato skins (see this recipe for instructions: Potato soup with crispy potato skins)
- corn flakes or frosted flakes (don't knock it until you've tried it!)
- Ritz crackers
- corn chips or tortilla chips
- crispy hash browns
Stovetop & Oven Directions
While I find it super easy to use my pressure cooker to make this recipe all in one pot, the stove will work perfectly fine with just a few adjustments.
You will want to allow your cream cheese and butter to come to room temperature so it's soft and will blend well with the potatoes.
Sauté the chopped onions and celery in a frying pan with 1 Tablespoon of butter until soft and set aside.
Fill a large pot with water and add 1-3 teaspoons of salt (depending on how big your pot is) add your peeled and chopped potatoes. Bring the pot of water to a boil and reduce the temperature so they are at a constant low boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. *You add the potatoes BEFORE the water boils to ensure that they cook all the way through evenly. Otherwise the outsides tends to cook faster and break apart.
Drain the excess liquid from the potatoes, reserving about ⅓ cup of the liquid to mix in with the potatoes (or you can use heavy cream instead or chicken broth). Use the same pot for mixing or transfer to a large bowl.
Before adding in any of the other ingredients, break up the potatoes a little bit to release some steam. Then add the cooked onions and celery, butter, cream cheese, and sour cream. Mix with a potato masher or electric mixer until they are the consistency you like. I like to keep them slightly chunky.
Check for seasonings and add salt, pepper, or any other seasonings you like. Mix in the shredded cheese, and then choose your topping!
Transfer the potatoes to a casserole or baking dish and top with the desired toppings. Bake in a preheated oven at 300℉/150℃ for about 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
How to Make Company Potatoes in the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot
Making these in my Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper makes this recipe effortless and once the potatoes are cooked, you can choose to transfer the mashed potatoes to a baking dish to finish in the oven, or keep them right in the Foodi and crisp the topping using the crisping lid.
Dice the celery and onions into ⅛-¼" dice.
Add the chicken stock to the inner pot. Peel and cut the potatoes into about 1-2" cubes and add to the pot. Add the salt, pepper, diced vegetables, butter, cream cheese and sour cream.
Place the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Pressure cook on high for 7 minutes with a 5-minute natural release. Manually release any remaining pressure.
Open the lid and don't scream! It looks horrible, I know. I promise, it will be just fine. Use a potato masher, I LOVE my (affiliate link)Mix 'N Mash from Pampered Chef, or you can transfer the contents to a mixing bowl and use an electric mixer if you prefer.
The potatoes will be a little runny, but this is what helps keep them moist after baking, so please don't worry about it. Add in the extra shredded cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
Add the topping or toppings over the mashed potatoes and bake in the Ninja Foodi on 300℉/150℃ for 15 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.
If you are using the Frosted Flake topping, I recommend putting the green onions down first and the mix the remaining ingredients together and use to cover the green onions so they don't burn.
You can also transfer the mashed potatoes to a baking dish and bake them with your topping of choice in the oven.
Serve & Enjoy!
Reheating Company Potatoes
One of the great things about company potatoes is they are perfect to make ahead of time and refrigerate until you want to serve them.
If you know you are going to make the Company Potatoes, refrigerate them, and then reheat before serving, I recommend leaving the topping off until you are ready to bake and serve.
Here are several different ways you can reheat them using the oven or the Ninja Foodi.
Oven Method
Remove the baking dish of potatoes about 1 hour before you want to reheat them so they warm up some. The depth of the potatoes in your dish will determine how long they take to reheat.
I like to set my oven temperature between 250-300℉/125-150℃ and cover the pan of mashed potatoes with foil or something else to help prevent the top from drying out. I also don't put the topping on until they are warmed through; however, if you have the topping on I would still follow the same instructions.
Bake covered for 20-60 minutes. I know that is a big spread of time, but like I said before, it's based on the depth of the potatoes in the casserole pan. If you have a shallow dish where the potatoes are 1-2" deep, they will reheat much faster than if they are 4" deep.
If you don't have the topping on the top, you can stir the potatoes a few times during the reheating process.
Once they are heated through, uncover and add topping if you haven't already. Increase the heat to about 350-400℉/175-200℃ and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the topping is brown and crispy.
Ninja Foodi Methods
There are several different functions you can use to reheat the company potatoes.
Steaming & Crisping
If you are reheating just a few portions, I recommend placing the potatoes in a 8" Fat Daddio pan and covering it with a silicone lid or foil.
Put 2 cups of water in the inner pot and place the pan of potatoes on the rack in the low position. Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to VENT. Steam for 10 minutes.
Open the lid and remove the cover. Close the crisping lid and air fry on 400℉/200℃ for 3-5 minutes to crisp the topping.
Slow Cook & Bake/Roast
You can also use the slow cook function on low to reheat the mashed potatoes. This works best if they don't already have a topping on them, but you can do it with the topping.
Place the inner pot with mashed potatoes in the Ninja Foodi and put the pressure lid on with the valve to VENT. Slow cook on LOW for 2-4 hours or until they are heated through.
Add topping and use crisping lid to bake the topping as directed in the recipe instructions.
Sear/Sauté & Keep Warm
If you want to use sear/sauté, I would use a low temperature setting, add a little more chicken stock to the potatoes and make sure to stir frequently.
Once they are warmed through, you can use the keep warm function to hold them until you are ready to add the topping and bake.
More Recipes Like This One
If you like this recipe, you will also like these potato recipes!
Company Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes I used large white potatoes
- 1 medium onion
- 1 stalk celery
- ⅓ cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon fine grind sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Potato Chip Topping
- ½ cup crushed potato chips
- ½ cup crushed Ritz crackers about 8 crackers
- 1 ounce parmesan cheese
Frosted Flake Topping
- 1-2 green onions chopped
- 1 cup frosted flakes
- 2 pieces bacon chopped and cooked for bacon bits, reserve grease
- ½ cup cheddar cheese
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Instructions
Stove/Oven Directions
- Bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
- Dice the celery and onion and sauté until very soft in about 1 Tablespoon of butter. Reserve the celery and onion to add to the potatoes after they boil.
- Peel and cut potatoes and add them to a large pot of salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the water, reserving ⅓ of it to use for mashing if needed.
- Add the cooked celery and onion, remaining butter, cream cheese, sour cream. Using a hand mixer or potato masher to mash the potatoes to your desired consistency. I like to keep some chunks in them. Add in some of the reserved cooking liquid (or chicken stock) if needed. Add the shredded cheese and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Transfer the mashed potatoes to a casserole or baking dish and add your topping of choice. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Serve & Enjoy
Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot with Crisping Lid
- Dice the onion and celery into ⅛-¼" dice. Add them to the inner pot.
- Peel and dice the potatoes and place them in the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi or Instant Pot. Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper, onions, celery, butter, cream cheese, and sour cream.
- Put the pressure lid on and turn the valve to seal. Set the pressure on high for 7 minutes. When the time is up, allow the pot to natural release for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure. I will warn you, it is going to look terrible! The cream cheese and sour cream might look curdled or split. Don't worry, it comes back together just fine.
- Use a potato masher that is safe for the inner pot or you can transfer the contents to a mixing bowl if you want to use an electric mixer in the non-stick pot. Once mashed to your desired consistency, add the shredded cheese and stir. Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Choose the topping you want and spread it over the top of the mashed potatoes in the inner pot. Close the crisping lid and set bake/roast (or air fry if you are using a different crisping lid and don't have bake/roast) at 300°F/150°C for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
- You can also transfer the potatoes to a baking dish and bake in the oven.
Potato Chip Topping
- Combine all ingredients together and cover mashed potatoes. Bake according to the method you are using.
Frosted Flake Topping
- Spread the chopped green onions over the top of the mashed potatoes. Mix the remaining ingredients together and spread over the mashed potatoes and green onions. Pour the bacon grease over the top if desired. Bake according the method you are using.
Notes
Nutrition
About the Recipe Author, Louise Long
Louise is a full-time recipe creator and food blogger @ The Salted Pepper. She has over 30 years of experience with cooking and recipe development. She owned a restaurant for several years and was a full-time RN until retiring to blog full-time.
She published her first cookbook in the Fall of 2018 and is very interested in writing several more.
Louise is also the creator of an online Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooking Course with over 100 instructional step-by-step videos. People absolutely rave about the course and all the value they have received from it.
Louise has several very active Facebook groups that help people with the basics of cooking and learning more about the appliances they love.
Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker & Air Crisper 101
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Louise is also a YouTube creator and you can find most of her recipes in video format on The Salted Pepper YouTube channel.
She is very responsive to messages and eager to help in any way she can. Get more Information about Louise & contact information
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