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Crockpot Holiday Mashed Red Potatoes made in the slow cooker with red potatoes, sour cream, cream cheese, rosemary, garlic and melted gouda cheese are the must have side dish this Thanksgiving. We are pairing these creamy potatoes and the rest of Thanksgiving dinner withWoodbridge by Robert Mondavi Red Blend to pull together the spirit of the day.
With my husband being in the military going home for holidays hasn’t always been an option, especially when we were younger and didn’t have the money for flights and travel. I hosted my first Thanksgiving dinner with friends as a teenager and it was a disaster.
Disaster!!
Our friends are gracious and amazing so they were more than thankful that I cooked but I just took on way too much! I made everything I could think of from scratch and it was so stressful and chaotic. I have learned a few things over the past decade and the biggest tip I have to help a new entertainer prepare is to focus on just a few dishes and make them fantastic!
As a host, you want to focus on the “stars” on the table. Those are the turkey, the must-have mashed potatoes, the drinks and of course of the dessert. I’m helping you out today going over each of these star items.
Don’t be afraid to ask your guests to bring items. Designate someone to bring rolls, someone to bring green beans and whatever else you want to see on the dinner table. Your guests want to bring something and contribute! Take away some stress and let them.
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Hosting
Hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner can get a bit overwhelming but we are keeping it as simple as possible. We have the big items taken care of with the Butterball Whole Turkey, Woodridge Wines, side of Crockpot Mashed Red Potatoes with Gouda, Marie Callender’s Dessert Pies and Marie Callender’s Loaf Cakes.
The stars of dinner:
- Butterball Whole Turkey – figure 1 pound per guest.
- Marie Callender’s Dessert Pies and Marie Callender’s Loaf Cakes – enough for each guest to have two slices. Yes, two! It’s Thanksgiving!
- Crockpot Red Mashed Potato with Gouda ingredients (recipe card below)
- Woodridge Red Blend, Woodridge Chardonnay and Woodridge Cabernet – 1/2 bottle per person and get a selection of both the red and white
What else is on that Turkey Day checklist?
- 2 clean plates for each guest
- water glass for each guest and wine glass for everyone over 21
- silverware- 2 forks, 1 spoon and 1 knife for each guest
- beautiful serving platter/bowl for each dish and dessert
- roasting pan
- thermometer
- hand mixer
- crockpot
- to-go boxes for guest leftovers
- napkins
- gravy bowl
- ample amount of servings spoons for each dish
- knife for carving the turkey
The special touches are what gives the holiday a warm, inviting feeling to the dinner table. Just a few items can bring out that “wow” factor.
Get the wow factor:
- candles
- tablecloth
- table liner
- pumpkin and leaf for each guest
- placemats
- fresh flowers
- the turkey is naturally the centerpiece so place some rosemary and fresh cranberries on the platter for instant décor
The Wine
The WineWine pairing is an area that can be intimidating but I have you covered.Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Red Blend was released earlier this year and comes in 750 mL and 1.5L bottles.The wine offers warm, toasty aromas and flavors, including jammy blackberry, vanilla, and baking spices. It’s full and rich with a long, flavorful finish. Pairs well with all your holiday favorites, including the turkey, potatoes and even pumpkin pie.
Woodbridge has been crafted for 30 years and offers classic wines that are balanced and smooth making them ideal for gatherings with friends and family for that perfect pairing. Woodbridge Red Blend is my recommended wine but also pick upWoodbridge Chardonnay andWoodbridge Cabernet so there is a great selection.
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Turkey Time
Turkey TimeButterball is the #1 brand of turkey in America for a reason! Butterball Whole Turkeys are all natural and pre-brined giving you the highest quality, juiciest turkey perfect for your Thanksgiving celebrations. Every Butterball Whole Turkey comes with easy-to-follow instructions packaged in an easy open bag.
I bought a 10 pound Butterball Whole Turkey. If you are questioning how much you need to buy, figure 1 pound per person. This will give you more than enough for everyone and allow for leftovers. I followed the instructions that came with my turkey and thawed it out for a few hours in cold water, changing out the water every 30 minutes. Then, I preheat the oven to 325 degrees. I rubbed olive oil on top of the turkey and instead using stuffing inside the turkey, I filled the cavity with onion, lemon and rosemary for a nice aromatic. I cooked the turkey for 3 hours until the thigh temperature was at 180 degrees.
Don’t fret over the gravy! Your Butterball Whole Turkey comes with a gravy packet and instructions to whisk up the perfect gravy for those potatoes and turkey.
Only Butterball has a team of turkey experts at the Turkey Talk-Line who are ready and waiting to answer all of your cooking questions. Call 1-800-BUTTERBALL or text 844-877-3456.
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Crockpot Holiday Mashed Red Potatoes with Gouda
Crockpot Holiday Mashed Red Potatoes with GoudaI am a big fan of mashed potatoes of any kind but today I wanted to make them extra special for the big Thanksgiving dinner so I pulled together these Crockpot Holiday Mashed Red Potatoes with Gouda cheese. This side dish is so tasty and very simple to whip up.
Wash your red potatoes, peel or don’t peel (up to you), quarter and toss in that slow cooker for 3-4 hours with chicken broth, minced garlic and some fresh rosemary. Once the potatoes are tender, remove the rosemary, add shredded gouda cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Use a hand mixer to blend until smooth and creamy.
You are definitely going to want to make these mashed red potatoes!! They are a huge hit!
Crockpot Holiday Mashed Red Potatoes with Gouda |
Yields: 15 servings
- 5 pounds red potatoes
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 8 ounces gouda cheese, shredded
- .5 cup chicken broth
- .5 cup sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Wash and quarter 5 pounds of red potatoes.
- Peel potatoes if you wish. I like to peel half to keep some skin.
- Place chopped red potatoes, .5 cup chicken broth, minced garlic cloves and 3 sprigs of rosemary in crockpot.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
- Remove rosemary sprigs.
- Add sour cream, cream cheese, shredded gouda, salt and pepper.
- Use a hand mixer to mix ingredients together until creamy. You can add a pinch of milk if you need to thin out the mashed potatoes.
- Cook another 15 minutes so cheese melts and serve.
- Preparation time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 4 hours
Dessert
DessertThanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without warm, delicious desserts. End Thanksgiving on a high note with Marie Callender’s Dessert Pies and new Marie Callender’s Loaf Cakes. Dutch Apple and Chocolate Satin Dessert Pies taste just like homemade that are easy to make and quick to clean up.Marie Callender’s Loaf Cakes are made from scratch with real ingredients and no preservatives or artificial colors with flavors like Double Chocolate and Banana Nut.
Visit Marie Callender’s and follow on social media:
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I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season with friends and family. Have you hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner or are you a new entertainer? Leave a comment below with tips from my veteran hosts for my newbies. New entertainers, leave a comment with any questions or concerns.
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