This recipe is the perfect make-ahead side dish that can be reheated in the oven or the microwave.

These creamy potatoes are fluffy with a nice buttery flavor.

Perfect if you ask me!

The Potatoes

For this recipe you’ll need 5 pounds of russet potatoes, or about 6 bakers. I find this variety of potato to yield the perfect smooth and creamy consistency.

No gritty or gluey mashed potatoes here. Please tell me you know what I’m referring to :)

The Cooking Method

Peel and cut potatoes into about 6-8 pieces each and place in large pot of salted cold water. Add a bay leaf, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, a couple garlic cloves and salt to the water. Thank you to the Kitchn for this recipe tip!

We’re going to take advantage of any opportunity to infuse flavor into our potatoes. If you don’t want flecks of thyme leaves in your potatoes you can place the fresh herbs in a cheese cloth bundle, then discard after boiling.

Cook potatoes just until *fork tender, then drain and return to the hot cooking pot to dry. Remove and discard the thyme and bay leaf before mashing.

*the ideal way to achieve fork tender potatoes is when you can insert a fork easily but still lift the potato from the water before it falls off. Not scientific, but tried and true.

I still use a good old fashioned potato masher but have heard of great results when using a potato ricer as well. For best results, please resist the urge to use an electric mixer which tends to deliver a gluey mash.

Add the following ingredients to the mashed potatoes:

• butter (1/2 cup)
• cream cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• salt & pepper to taste

Continue to mash until well combined. Transfer potatoes to a 9×13 baking dish. Add dollops of butter to top, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

The beauty of this recipe is it can be made up to 2 days in advance of serving. And you can reheat in the oven or microwave.

Oven Heating Method

Oven heating is my preferred method because we love the buttery golden top.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove potatoes from refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature
• Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes or lightly browned and heated through
• Heating times will vary depending on oven and if multiple dishes are being heated together
• Tent with foil If casserole begins to brown too quickly

Microwave Heating Method

Reheating in the microwave comes in very handy, especially during the holidays when oven space is in high demand.

• Microwave potatoes uncovered on high in one minute increments
• Stir after each minute, until hot

Family Favorite Side Dishes

If you’re planning your Thanksgiving or Holiday menu, here are a few our our family’s favorite side dishes.

• Three Cheese Mac ‘n’ Cheese
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar & Pecans
• Summer Squash Casserole
• Herb Browned Butter Stuffing
• Fresh Green Bean & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Shallots

Everyone loves mashed potatoes. When you’re planning a big meal, go ahead and make this side dish in advance. One less thing to worry about as you’re enjoying the company of friends and family.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Here in the sunny south we’ve been experiencing some big weather swings.  Cold one day, hot the next.  Seems that kind of shift leads you straight into flu and cold season.  Yep, that’s right.  About 1/3 of my work family is or has been sick.  The only thing I could think to do was make soup.  Mushroom Soup with Cheesy Portobello Croutons hit the spot.

We had witnessed poor Ania go slowly down hill.  You could see in her face that she just didn’t feel good, but she hung in there, each day hoping that would be the day she would turn the corner and feel better.  When Friday afternoon rolled around I overheard a coworker ask her what would make her feel better.  The answer was soup.  Mushroom Soup.  Note to self, make Ania mushroom soup.

We have a Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe shared already, yet I had a feeling brothy would be better in this case.  So I sent her a text to confirm.

I wanted to do something especially for Ania.  Since she is a low-carb girl, most often when I’m passing samples around at the office, they aren’t on her plan.  I needed a soup that delivered comfort so I followed our French Onion Soup recipe but replaced the onions with mushrooms.  I had to come up with a replacement for the cheesy pumpernickel crouton.

Welcome the roasted Portobello mushroom cap loaded with Havarti cheese aka Cheesy Portobello Crouton.  If you’re a carb lover like me, feel free to melt that thick slice of Havarti over an even thicker slice of toasted pumpernickel bread.

Yes the cheesy crouton delivers complete comfort, and all those yummy mushrooms will make you smile, but the broth…..

The broth begins with cooking down the mushrooms in butter until they release all their natural juices.  Then fresh thyme, garlic, bay leaf, red wine and Worcestershire sauce build on that goodness.  Once the wine is cooked off, nice rich beef broth is added and the mushrooms simmer.  I’m telling you if layers of flavors had a picture in the dictionary this might just be it.

I delivered a big tub of Mushroom Soup {with Cheesy Portobello Crouton}.  I’m pretty certain Ania perked up after she enjoyed a bowlful for lunch.  Share the Love.  It just feels good.

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Mushroom Soup {with Cheesy Portobello Crouton}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the soup…

• 4 Tbl. butter
• 2 pounds thick sliced fresh mushrooms I used button and baby portobello
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 1 cup red wine can sub white wine or omit
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 48 ounces beef stock

For the cheesy Portobello croutons…

• 4 Portobello mushroom caps about 4-inch diameter
• 4 thick slices Havarti or Gruyere Cheese
• olive oil
• salt & pepper

Instructions

For the soup…

• In a large dutch oven over medium-low heat, add butter and sliced mushrooms. Stir to coat mushrooms in butter then allow to cook untouched for 10 minutes. Stir well, then allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes untouched. Stir, cook another 5 minutes, mushrooms should be releasing their liquid. Continue cooking, stirring every 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and have released most of their liquid.
• Add in minced garlic, bay leaf, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, then add in wine and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to simmer gently until the wine has absorbed. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, discard.
• Dust mixture with flour and cook slowly for 5-7 minutes. Then add beef broth and simmer 10 minutes.

For the cheesy Portobello croutons…

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Using a spoon, scrape to remove the gills from the stem side of each of mushroom cap. Brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cut a shallow ‘X’ into the top of each cap. Place in baking pan.
• Roast for 15 minutes on one side, then turn over and roast another 15 minutes. Fill each cap with a slice of cheese, then pop under the broiler until lightly browned and bubbly.
• Fill crocks with soup, top with cheesy Portobello crouton. Enjoy!

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I’m Libby with Lemony Thyme and the voice behind this blog, however I learned the fundamentals from a variety of sources.  When I started this blog 2+ years ago, my family was supportive yet cautious.  I’ll tell you more about that but first I must introduce a staple recipe, Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs.  Fall off the bone beefy goodness.

Both of these pictures were taken pre-Lemony Thyme.  Just any given night celebrating food and capturing the moment with the click of a cell phone.  From time to thyme I scroll through the thousands of photos I have archived.  Is there a recipe we need to recreate for the blog?  A gem in the rough?  Or a picture of a midnight snack that warrants a sober revisit?

I stumbled upon these photos, taken on two separate occasions, and was reminded of how much I adore Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs.  When I first threw out the idea of starting a blog, as I said previously, some were supportive yet cautious.  Cautious about sharing too much.  Sharing exact ingredient measurements is unfathomable to some.  The early view was that our site should attract people like us, home cooks who know their way around the kitchen.  Throw out some recipe inspiration and quality pictures and let individuals create their own versions of our dishes.  I understood where this was coming from, yet I quickly learned that offering recipe inspiration WITH details would allow budding food enthusiasts (like our kid) to utilize our recipes.

Lemony Thyme will always be a work in progress representing our love for food and food photography.  I’ve put in a request for Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs so that I can picture them again, but this time with my big girl camera.  More importantly, I’m ready to enjoy these melt in your mouth short ribs, perched on a bed of mashed potatoes with pan gravy so unctuous I’m certain I’ll call out….for more.

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Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 5-6 beef short ribs
• salt & pepper
• 3 slices bacon
• 1 onion large diced
• 2 carrots sliced
• 1 celery rib sliced
• 2 cups rich beef stock
• 1/2 cup good but not great cabernet or pinot noir
• 2 Tbl. Worcestershire
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Season a large Dutch oven by laying 3 slices of bacon across bottom over medium heat. Cook bacon until crispy, remove bacon and pour off all rendered fat. Reserve bacon for another dish or enjoy as a pre-dinner snack.
• Season short ribs with salt and pepper, then add to Dutch oven; brown on all sides & edges, 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and add onion, carrots and celery to pan and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine and deglaze pan, scrapping all brown bits with wooden spoon. Return short ribs to pan, nestle in vegetables. Add beef stock to bring liquid up to just over half way up the ribs. Then add garlic, Worcestershire, and thyme.
• Cover pan and braise in oven, checking every 1/2 hour to insure slow burble (not boil). Reduce heat accordingly. Total cooking time approx. 3 hours or until meat is tender and pulling away from bone.
• Serve short ribs on a bed of mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower for a low-carb option, with a ladle of pan gravy.

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When I make French Onion Soup I know my family feels loved.  That makes me happy.  A big pot of buttery caramelized onions, fresh herbs & garlic, nice rich beef stock, topped with an over-sized crouton smothered with cheese.  It’s LOVE I tell you.

To begin, make a giant pot of caramelized onions, as many as you can fit in your big dutch oven.  I know the recipe calls for 4 large onions, but if you have more in the pantry and they’ll fit in the pot, slice them up.  They will cook down quite a bit and you can always put them on your grilled cheese sandwiches tomorrow. 

I made the caramelized onions the night before and then turned them into these little pots of LOVE for lunch.  I warmed the onions then added minced garlic, fresh thyme, a bay leaf, salt & pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine.  The red wine gets cooked off until it has evaporated, leaving the onions with a rich full bodied flavor.  A dusting of flour gets cooked in before adding beef stock with a final simmer.  This soup is fantastic at this point. 

However, I’m a sucker for cheese.  And a cheese topped over-sized crouton really makes me happy.  So I cut some nice thick slices of day old pumpernickel bread (which will now be my staple French Onion Soup topper) and toasted it slightly.  Filled my favorite collection of crocks with the soup, nestled a piece of toasted bread on each, then a thick slice of melty cheese like Havarti or Gruyere, and under the broiler they went.  French Onion Soup {with Pumpernickel Croutons}.  It’s LOVE I tell you.

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French Onion Soup

Course Soup

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 3 Tbl. butter
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 4 large onions sliced for caramelizing
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 1 cup red wine can sub white wine or omit
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbl. flour
• 1 quart beef stock
• 4 thick slices crusty bread
• 4 thick slices Havarti or Gruyere Cheese

Instructions

• In a large dutch oven over medium-low heat, add butter, olive oil, and sliced onions. Stir to coat onions in butter then allow to cook untouched for 10 minutes, until caramelizing begins. Stir well, then allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes untouched. Stir, cook another 5 minutes, onions should be turning a nice golden brown. Continue cooking, stirring every 3-4 minutes until the desired color is achieved.
• Add in minced garlic, bay leaf, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional minute, then add in wine and Worcestershire sauce. Allow to simmer gently until the wine has absorbed. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, discard.
• Dust onion mixture with flour and cook slowly for 5-7 minutes. Then add beef broth and simmer 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to broil. Butter and toast crusty bread slices. Ladle soup into crocks, place toasted bread on top of each crock and top with a slice of cheese. Broil until lightly browned and bubbly.

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