Cheddar Mashed Potatoes--a holiday season side

As part of my continued effort to make the world a tastier yet healthier place (although, I admit, this is of questionable healthiness, but at least it is from scratch and not boxes or mixes!), I am starting a new series of posts highlighting side dishes that would be a wonderful addition to holiday meals, whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, or what-have-you.

If I was hosting such a dinner, I'd actually prefer to keep holiday meals basic, just a big bird or chunk of roast or something, with fairly plan mashed potatoes (with gravy of course), veggies, etc, to allow for more versatility in the utilization of leftovers (which I will probably post about at some point, like the day after Thanksgiving), but some people like to have some fancy-schmancy holiday sides too and others may wish to just have these sides whenever.  We had these potatoes last night with venison steak and glazed carrots and it was good!  Definitely one I'll be making over and over!

Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

about 1 1/2 lbs potatoes

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tbsp-1/4 cup milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

salt to taste

Peel potatoes, rinse, and cut into chunks.  Place in a saucepan with water just to cover.  Place over high heat and boil until soft, about 20 minutes.  Pour potatoes into a colander and set aside.  In the same saucepan, place butter and chives and heat over medium heat until butter melts, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.  Return potatoes to pan.  Add sour cream, 2 tbsp of milk, and the cheese.  Mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth.  Add more milk if necessary.  Salt to taste and serve.