Mashed Potatoes Any Time

We don't need a special occasion at my house to have mashed potatoes.  Any time there is an opportunity for gravy and/or someone feels like peeling potatoes we'll have mashed potatoes.  For years I made Swanson's Skinny Mashed Potatoes.  They are actually quite good and fit well with Weight Watchers.

Skinny Mashed Potatoes
Serves: 6
3 1/2 cups Swanson® Natural Goodness® Chicken Broth
5 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
Generous dash ground black pepper

Heat the broth and potatoes in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes well in a colander, reserving the broth.

Mash the potatoes with 1 1/4 cups broth and black pepper. Add additional broth, if needed, until the potatoes are the desired consistency.
Weight Watchers Points®*: 3
Dietary Exchanges: 2 Starch, 1/2 Other Carbohydrate
USDA MyPyramid: 1 cup Vegetables

Now I'm on my "who are we kidding" chapter of my life and I went wild last Thanksgiving and made Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes.  I did them exactly how she said to do them and boy were they good.  Decadent even.  They were good without gravy.
 
Tonight I wanted to make mashed potatoes and thought I'm going to do them like Pioneer Woman's, but I have to admit I just couldn't go all the way with the butter and the half n half.  So, I went part of the way and they were still wonderful.

Lynne's Scaled Back Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes
2 to 3 pounds of peeled Idaho Potatoes, cut into pieces about the same size
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese straight from the fridge
2 T butter
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Lawry's Season Salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper

Place prepared potatoes in pan and just cover with water.  Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until potato chunk when forked slides right through.  Remove from heat and drain.  Don't worry if a little water is left in pan.  I just tip it carefully over the sink enough so the potatoes don't fall out, but water drains.  Return to stove (hot burner but turned off) add cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper and begin mashing.  Once cream cheese and butter are warmed up I pull pan off hot burner and keep mashing until it's the consistency I like.  Serve.

Tonight we once again thought they were so good that gravy was just an added bonus.  I had a small serving and DH and DS ate all but 2 cups of the mashed potatoes.  I could see them circling and knew I might want more potatoes maybe tomorrow.