I Make My Aunt Judy’s Mashed Potatoes Every Single Thanksgiving

Every year for Thanksgiving, my Aunt Judy would make the mashed potatoes.

Aunt Judy’s mashed potatoes are legendary. They are the stuff potato dreams are made of. She whipped them up light and fluffy, but she also doctored them with sour cream and cream cheese along with the usual butter and milk. She never made enough—no matter how many pounds of potatoes she used—because we always clamored for more of her delicious spuds, and everyone had a second (and sometimes a third and fourth) helping.

Although my family argues over the type of stuffing (one year, we had three types of stuffing to satisfy various taste buds around the table), we never change the potatoes. Aunt Judy’s potatoes are the only mashed potatoes that are worthy of Thanksgiving (and Christmas, New Year’s, and Easter, too).

Two years ago, we changed up the dinner. My mom was diagnosed with a rare lung cancer, and in addition to taking immunotherapy drugs, she also went to see an internal medicine doctor. This doctor told her to get off of sugar, eat 11 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, stay away from gluten, and stay away from dairy products.

That meant my mom couldn’t enjoy Aunt Judy’s mashed potatoes. But there was no way I wasn’t going to let my mom watch everyone else around the table eat our favorite dish. So I came up with a non-dairy version of Aunt Judy’s legendary dish, and my mom absolutely loved it. My sisters told me it tasted good for being absolutely lactose-free. And my brother-in-law, who ate my mashed potatoes by mistake, didn’t mind one bit.

We now serve my dairy-free version alongside Aunt Judy’s original dish. My mom will remain on immunotherapy and her strict diet the rest of her life, but her last scans “were not concerning,” and she’s doing really well. She’s already asked me to make the mashed potatoes again this Thanksgiving. 

Non-Dairy Thanksgiving

• Vegan Pumpkin Pie
• Mushroom Stuffing
• Turkey Tenderloin
• Mushroom Gravy
  

Cook the potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and cut up any larger ones as needed so that all of the potatoes are roughly 2 inches long.

Add to a large pot and cover with an inch of water. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil over high heat, and then remove the lid and adjust the heat so that the potatoes are always boiling. Cook until you can easily pierce through the potatoes with a fork without them completely falling apart, 20 to 30 minutes.

Drain the potatoes.

Make the mashed potatoes:

Rice the potatoes with a ricer or add back to the pot and mash well. Place over low heat and add the almond milk and 1 stick of nondairy butter, mashing to combine. Stir in the sour cream and nondairy cream cheese until melted and combined, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish. 

You can either serve the potatoes right away or reheat them at mealtime. If you’re serving right away, slice the remaining stick of butter and scatter on top. Let melt and serve.

If you are making the mashed potatoes ahead, don’t top with the butter and let them cool a bit. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How to reheat (optional):

To reheat at mealtime, preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the remaining stick of butter into slices and scatter on top of the mashed potatoes.

Bake until completely warmed through and the butter is melted on top, 20 to 30 minutes. If you are taking the potatoes right from the refrigerator, this can take 45 minutes. Serve hot.

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