Make Ahead Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes

When I considered Thanksgiving dinner and converting everything to be allergy-safe, I made this way harder than it needed to be. I do what I always do. Hop on the internet, surf over to Google, type in dairy-free whatever-else-free I need, let the links unfold, then angst over which recipe looks the least alien to the original.

What I should have done was simply take my old recipe, replace the milk and butter with my go-to dairy subs, and get on with it. Not so hard, really.

My daughter claims she doesn't like coconut milk b/c it's too strong, but in reality, I cook so much with it, she hardly notices. I steered clear of it as my dairy replacement in mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving so it wouldn't overpower the taste. In truth, I used a combination of coconut milk, hemp milk, and chicken broth, and no one was the wiser.

I've since made mashed potatoes with all chicken broth and it was terrific. Not what I'd make for a traditional holiday meal, but it's great with a Mediterranean chicken dish I made last week. I'll have to post that someday.

This is based on a recipe from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook - remember cookbooks? I still occasionally consult one, but those days are waning. I make these in my crockpot so they stay warm while I'm dealing with last minute dinner prep - turkey carving, gravy-making, table-setting, etc.

We like mashed taters very creamy, so be forewarned. If you like yours thicker, dial back the milk sub.

Dairy-Free Mashed Potatoes

• 8-10 boiling or Yukon gold potatoes
• 1/3 to 1/2 C very warm dairy free milk (I use So Delicious coconut milk)
• 2-3 T dairy-free butter ( I use soy-free Earth Balance)
• 1 t Celtic salt (if using finer ground salt, you may want less)
• pepper to taste

Preheat crockpot to warm or low setting. Add DF butter to soften.

Scrub potatoes, peel and cut into large pieces.

Boil 30 minutes or until tender. Drain in colander.

Dump in warmed crockpot. Add DF butter and beat with hand mixer until lumps are gone.

Add salt and pepper, then slowly add milk until potatoes are to desired consistency.

Cover and keep on low until ready to eat.