Food Recipes Side Dishes Mashed-Potato Casserole with Sage and Fontina 5.0 (3) 3 Reviews To take mashed potatoes up a few notches, cookbook author Melissa Clark mashes them with a creamy, tangy mix of crème fraîche, butter, parsley and sage, then tops them with cheesy breadcrumbs and bakes until crisp. Slideshow: More Casserole Recipes By Melissa Clark Melissa Clark Melissa Clark is a food writer and the author of more than 40 cookbooks. She has been a staff reporter at The New York Times for more than 10 years, where she writes about food trends, develops recipes, and appears in cooking videos linked to her column, A Good Appetite. She is a regular guest on the Today show, Rachael Ray, and NPR. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 2, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: © John Kernick Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hr Yield: 8 to 10 Ingredients 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more for greasing at room temperature) 3 pounds baking potatoes (peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces) ½ cup crème fraîche (4 ounces) 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped) 1 tablespoon sage (plus 2 sage leaves chopped) 8 ounces imported Fontina cheese (shredded) Kosher salt Pepper ⅓ cup breadcrumbs (plain dry) ⅓ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (freshly grated) Olive oil (for frying) Directions Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 2-quart shallow baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes with 4 tablespoons of the butter, the crème fraîche, parsley and chopped sage. Fold in the Fontina and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potato mixture in the prepared dish in an even layer. In a small bowl, using your fingers, blend the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan until coarse crumbs form. Top the potatoes with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and crisp on top. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil over low heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sage to paper towels to drain. Scatter the fried sage over the casserole and serve. Make Ahead The assembled unbaked casserole can be refrigerated overnight. Originally appeared: November 2016 Rate It Print