These Old-School Southern Mud Potatoes Are The Weeknight Side Dish You've Been Missing

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Call it a casserole, call it a hot dish ... just don't call us late to dinner! Grandpa jokes notwithstanding, there's something absolutely delightful about a low-prep, hearty baked side dish to accompany a slow cooker roast or some grilled meat on a chilly autumn weeknight. If you like loaded twice-baked potatoes, you simply must meet their worthy cousin: Mississippi Mud Potatoes. How did they get that name? We have no idea. The moniker may evoke sludge, but the reality is crispy, creamy, savory taters studded with your favorite accompaniments in a silky sauce.

All you need to do is mix together mayonnaise and sour cream with sliced green onions, plenty of shredded cheese, and all your favorite seasonings. Fold in some cubed potatoes and a generous portion of cooked, crumbled bacon, then spread everything in a baking pan. Bake until the potatoes are fork-tender and the mixture is bubbly and ooey-gooey. Your best bet is to eyeball it through your oven door's window.

While Yukon Golds are a grocery store favorite for the best mashed spuds, here you will want the lower moisture in russet potatoes or a similar variety to ensure they get fluffy and crisp up just right. We are generally fans of crispy potato skins (plus, you lose out on fiber and potassium if you don't eat them) but don't like to risk them getting soggy in the cream sauce. So, it's best to expend the effort and peel your potatoes for this recipe.

If you ever dabble in the long list of ingredients to add to mashed potatoes, you already know that potatoes go great with so, so many foods. The beauty of Mississippi Mud Potatoes is that everything is thrown together and baked in one dish, which puts it firmly in the realm of weeknight convenience meals. That doesn't mean, however, that you can't add your own variations to make this belly-warming side your own.

One intuitive change is to kick up the spice factor a bit. A dash of your favorite hot sauce or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes will take your potatoes to Flavortown, but here's another idea: while the potatoes are hot from the oven, drizzle some all-natural hot honey over the top as a garnish. This is especially nice if you broil the top of your potatoes for a bit before serving to create a delectable golden crust on the cheese. As for texture, this dish doesn't have a ton of it as-is. Our personal suggestion is something crispy added in the last portion of baking, like French fried onions or crispy jalapeños.

Don't be afraid to upgrade and dabble with the core ingredients, either. That mayo and sour cream sauce is great as-is, but we're big fans of mixing fresh shredded Swiss, onion jack, and/or Gouda into the cheese mixture, along with a swirl of Dijon mustard in the sauce to give the potatoes grown-up nuance. No matter how you mix 'em, these mud potatoes are gonna slap.