I don’t often cook the same dish twice — much less year after year. I have more cookbooks and recipe clippings than I will ever get through, plus I just get bored with repeating myself. But these potatoes became an instant favorite with my family and many of my friends, and I don’t now seem to be able to get away with bringing anything else to come-one-come-all dinners. So they’ve been dubbed “Robyn’s potatoes” for a few years now, and I guess that’s as good a name as any.

They are quite easy to whip up — there’s no potato peeling involved or tricky ingredients. And most importantly, you get the immense satisfaction of using a ricer. There’s just something about squeezing those potatoes into squiggly lines of mashed potatoey goodness that is hard to beat. And the addition of sour cream and cream cheese gives the potatoes a nice tang without taking anything away from that essential potato comfort factor. A crispy parmesan and butter topping seals the deal.

We ate this batch just last night at an early Thanksgiving dinner that my mother decided to put together since I will be out of the country this year on the actual day. (Rome, here I come!) It’s difficult to recommend a particular wine or type of wine here, because the potatoes really work with just about anything. (Though, the 1987 BV Georges de Latour Cabernet that my dad pulled out of his collection will do in a pinch!) So just match the wine to whatever you’re serving as the main course.

Robyn’s Potatoes

4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
10 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cup sour cream
6 green onions, trimmed and chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

Place the potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with cold water by at least a couple of inches. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a wooden skewer, but not yet falling apart. Drain.

Preheat oven to 350F. Beat the cream cheese and sour cream together in the bowl of a mixer. Press a potato through a ricer directly into the bowl and add a small handful of the chopped green onion, then turn on the mixer (carefully — these can spatter!) to combine. Continue alternating a riced potato and some green onion until all the potatoes and onions have been incorporated into the mixture. Mix in the garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary or to your taste. Tip mixture into a baking dish.

Cover the top of the potatoes with the grated parmesan and dot with the butter. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is golden and crisp. Serves 8-10.

Update: A couple of afterthoughts…

1. My understanding, as I’m moving more toward purchasing exclusively organic produce, is that it’s particularly important for fruits and vegetables that have thin skins and/or skins that you eat. Potatoes seem to fit both of those descriptions, so I use organic Yukon golds here.

2. As for the somewhat retro garlic and onion powders — that happened because the first time I did these potatoes, I somehow didn’t have any fresh garlic or onion on hand and there was no time to run to the store. I’ve since experimented with using fresh, but it threw off the super smooth texture of the potatoes without infusing as much flavor. Thus the powdered versions; though, again, I use organic.