This recipe and post has been sponsored by Lone Star Eggs. All opinions are my own.

These Pop Pop Potatoes have a surprise ingredient to make them creamy and delicious.

I learned to make these Pop Pop Potatoes from a lady who was a friend of mine in Muleshoe, Texas. My husband and I moved there shortly after we married and both of our boys were born during that time (in Lubbock, the closest major hospital). I think everyone should live in a small Texas town at some point in their life...it really shaped me into the person I am today. One of the best parts? Learning old family recipes from some amazing people!

Pop Pop Potatoes

Last month, I shared a fun recipe for Tex Mex Huevos en Papas. They were created with delicious Lone Star Eggs and they were inspired by my time living in Abilene, Texas. After living in Abilene, we headed north into (almost) the panhandle for my husband to take on his first principalship. We lived in Muleshoe for four years and then headed back down to central Texas, where we have lived ever since (and I'm from Austin...so this is basically home for me). No matter what part of the state I'm in, I definitely love me some Texas...it's such a large state that every area is so unique from others. And I've really been enjoying the Lone Star Eggs...they're laid by Texans. For Texans. I love how large the eggs are, too. You can pick some up at a Walmart Super Center.

I had never heard of using eggs in mashed potatoes until I was helping to organize a community cookbook in Muleshoe (I still love that cookbook and use it all the time). I was in charge of recipe retrieval (amongst other things). I ran to people's homes and work places to pick up recipes here and there. While this particular recipe did not make it into the cookbook, it's absolutely delicious.

While picking up recipes, one particular lady was telling me about her potatoes...I think part of the reason it never made it into the cookbook was because she didn't write it down. She just pulled me into her home and showed me how she made them (she was in mid-supper-production...and she was so sweet I couldn't tell her I had like five more stops...ha!). She showed me how she added an egg or two to her potatoes to make them super fluffy. She called them Pop Pop Potatoes. I was nine months pregnant and vaguely remember a lot of that cooking lesson...but somehow my brain translated it to this recipe coming from her grandpa...or "Pop Pop". I told everyone that...the potatoes kind of developed their own legend from this gal's Pop Pop's recipe. One day, I ran into her at the grocery store and told her that her Pop Pop was such a genius with that egg trick. She looked at me like I had two heads.

"Kristi, I called my grandpa 'Granddad'...those are called Pop Pop Potatoes because they start to pop when the egg is cooked through enough to eat. Get it? Pop Pop Potatoes?!?"

So yeah...no magical old man whipping up these creamy mountains of potato heaven. Just potatoes popping on the stove, y'all. Pregnancy brain is real. ;)

I actually make these more today than I did years ago when I learned the recipe. They're very customizable. I like the recipe because I don't need as much cream and butter (like with normal mashed potatoes) with the richness the egg adds to it. Sometimes I don't add any of those...just the egg. That way I stay on my eating plan (I can have eggs and potatoes...butter, notsomuch).

I also cook my potatoes in chicken stock/broth rather than water. It adds so much deliciousness. They're the perfect lighter mashed potatoes that still have tons of good flavor. Click here to see how I make my homemade broth in the slow cooker.

In the photos above, I prepared a lot more potatoes than the normal five pound bag...so I used two eggs. I would definitely start with one egg the first time you make these...to see how they work for you. The trick is that once the egg hits the bottom of the pot, get your muscles ready to whip it...whip it good. You want to use a large wire balloon whisk to get the potatoes as fluffy as possible. You'll also keep your heat on medium to cook the eggs completely (that's a very important step...please don't skip it!). Once the potatoes start their popping, that usually means the eggs are almost done (or at least that the potatoes are pretty hot and able to cook those eggs!). I usually leave them on the heat for a few more minutes to make sure the eggs got completely done. 

Recipe for Pop Pop Potatoes

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds gold potatoes, chopped
• chicken broth (I use homemade, but you can use 3 of the 32 ounce boxes if you prefer)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• salted butter, to taste
• cream, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• dried parsley flakes for garnish

Directions:

• Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with chicken broth. Add tablespoon of olive oil and salt to broth. Bring to a boil and turn heat to medium. Boil until potatoes are fork tender. Drain, reserving about a cup of the broth.
• Mash potatoes (I use an electric mixer). Add back to your large pot and place over medium heat.
• Make a well in the bottom of the pan, in the middle of the potatoes. Add about a teaspoon of olive oil and allow it to heat. 
• Crack egg into a custard cup and then pour into the well. Working fast (so the egg doesn’t scramble), whip egg into potatoes with a wire whisk. Keep potatoes over medium heat for 5-10 minutes so egg cooks completely (until the potatoes start to “pop”, hence the name).
• Add butter (if we add butter, we use 1/4 cup), cream, minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (all of these are optional and to your own taste. They're great "naked", too.). If potatoes are too thick, add back in some of the reserved broth, a little at a time, to thin them out a bit.
• Garnish with dried parsley (if desired) and fresh cracked black pepper.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPE

Pure, indulgent creaminess! Have you ever added an egg to your mashed potatoes?