Potatoes are one of my favorite things . . . this is a great variation of plain mashed potatoes.

I'm looking for a recipe that is similar to the baked potato soup served at Chili's . . . it has to be one of my favorite meals with a salad. If anyone has the recipe, I'd really appreciate it!

Mashed Potato Casserole

Makes 10 to 12 servings

4 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks
8 ounces light cream cheese, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Position a rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough lightly salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

With a hand-held electric mixer mash potatoes until chunky. Add the cream cheese, ¾ cup of the cheddar, milk, butter, and salt and pepper to taste and mix until smooth. Stir in the chives. Spread evenly in the baking dish and top with remaining ¼ cup of cheddar.

Bake until the cheese is melted and the casserole is heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

The casserole can be prepared without the cheese topping up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated. If chilled, add the cheese topping and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes.

Recipes from Art Smith's blog on Yahoo.com