My Favorite Recipe is a new column where we ask America's Test Kitchen cooks, cast members, and luminaries about the recipes they can't stop cooking.
My Favorite Recipe
Jack Bishop’s Favorite Recipe: Mashed Potato Casserole
The longtime TV show cast member’s favorite recipe simplifies his holidays.
By Published Dec. 6, 2021.
You learn a lot about someone when you ask them to share their favorite recipes. Their responses reflect their interests, their backgrounds, and often their families.
Jack Bishop, chief creative officer of America’s Test Kitchen and tasting expert on both of our TV shows, has been with the company almost since day one. His knowledge of our recipe collection is vast, and he chose a favorite dish that always has a place on his holiday table. It’s a family favorite—and it makes the cook’s life easier.
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Hey Jack, what’s your favorite ATK recipe?
JB: The Cook's Country Mashed Potato Casserole is a standard on my table during the holidays. My family loves mashed potatoes. But mashing the potatoes while everyone is celebrating is a thankless job. I mean, it's last-minute, right? I've done that before, and it's just sad for the cook.
It sort of feels like the perfect ATK recipe in the sense that we not only made it better, we made it simpler.
How would you describe this recipe to someone who’s never had it?
JB: This recipe captures what you love about mashed potatoes, but you make them a day in advance and enrich them with eggs. There's a little bit of Dijon mustard, there's chives, and you put them in a casserole dish. They go into the oven when the main protein comes out, and the casserole kind of soufflés a little bit, and the top gets little crispy brown bits. They’re sort of like mashed potatoes, but much better. And they're so much more practical for a busy holiday dinner prep.
Mashed Potato Casserole
Mashed potato casserole, with the promise of fluffy, buttery, creamy potatoes nestled under a savory golden crust, is the perfect make-ahead dish during the holiday season.Get the Recipe
What’s the best part about the recipe?
JB: It's a perfect project for the day before, I'm going to say. It works. I’m always looking for that recipe where it feels like, wow, that was so much pay off for the effort. It sort of feels like feels the perfect ATK recipe in the sense that we not only made it better, we made it simpler.
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