Christmas Dinner with the Giada De Laurentiis for Target Collection – Baked Mashed Potatoes

Thankfully my family is used to me doing crazy things “for the blog”.  Last Sunday, we had Christmas dinner so I could try out my food and cooking kitchen tools from the Giada De Laurentis for Target Collection.

I’ve been watching Giada de Laurentiis on the Food Network for years.  If you’ve been reading KLY for awhile, you know that The Next Food Network Star is one of my favorite shows.  Giada (she is so friendly and approachable you feel like you can call her by her first name!) was the mentor on the last round of shows.  She appears so kind and warm, she made the perfect mentor for the nervous newbie contestants.

Giada’s other Food Network shows include Giada at Home (Saturdays at 1:30pm/12:30c) where she  shares her love for entertaining California-style.  From festive parties to family dinners, she shares her own style and recipes.  Born in Rome, Giada grew up in a large Italian family where the culture of food was a staple in and of itself.  As the granddaughter of film producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada consistently found herself in the family’s kitchen and spent a great deal of time at her grandfather’s restaurant, DDL Foodshow.  Her professional training included studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and working at Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant, Spago.

I incorporated several of Giada’s recipes and used her kitchen tools in our “Christmas” dinner.  The tools were awesome – made the cooking easy and fun!  The food was awesome and accenting dishes using the pre-made jars of food were a huge time saver.

This is a potato side dish that earned rave reviews!

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs

Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and baked in the Giada De Laurentis for Target 2-Quart Ceramic Oval Baker

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter

4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a large post of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well.  Mix in the milk and melted butter.  Mix in the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan.  Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.  Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish.  Stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small bowl to blend.  Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes.  Recipe can be prepared up to this point six hours ahead of time; cover and chill.

Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Of course, being who I am, I took a few shortcuts……

I used prepared mashed potatoes, already seasoned and mixed with milk and butter.  I used the Giada De Laurentiis Large Batter Bowl and mixed in Parmesan and Mozzarella grated cheese.  I love, love, love this bowl.  The color is fun and bright and the non-slip bottom makes it a joy to use!  The price is very reasonable too – the Giada De Laurentiis for Target 3-Piece Plastic Bowl Set with Pour is only $19.99 Suggested Retail and I’ve seen it on sale for even less.  Here’s the details:

• Number of Pieces: 3
• Includes: 5 qt. Bowl, 1.5 qt. Bowl, 3 qt. Bowl
• Features: Easy-Pour Spout, Nonslip Base
• Care and Cleaning: Dishwasher-safe

I also used the Giada De Laurentis for Target Silicone Spoonula with Stainless Steel Handle which I think was my favorite piece of the whole collection. I love, love, love this spoon/spatula. It works great and feels good in your hand.

After I mixed the potatoes and cheese, I spooned them into the Giada De Laurentis for Target 2-Quart Ceramic Oval Baker.

In the small batter bowl, I mixed parmesan cheese and bread crumbs as instructed in the recipe and sprinkled them on top of the potatoes.

After baking for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven, I pulled out this yummmmmmy, bubbling beautiful dish!!  I almost put in a video because it was so beautiful bubbling away.

Doesn’t it look great on the table?  The 2-Quart Oval Ceramic Baker goes straight from oven to table, looking beautiful.

Did you happen to notice the measuring cups in the pictures?  Those are also from the Giada Collection, Giada De Laurentis for Target Stainless Steel Measuring Cups.  I love the lip around the edge – thicker than most measuring cups, giving you a way to fill without spilling as much.  They are a nice heavy gauge of stainless and very comfortable to use.  They sit up nice when you put them on the counter, not falling over as some do.

I love, love, love the combination of Giada De Laurentiis style and cooking expertise with the prices of Target.  Perfect together!

Disclosure of Material Connection: All opinions are my own, unless otherwise stated. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Giada De Laurentis for Target and received product samples to facilitate my review. This disclosure is in accordance with FTC guidelines.