This creamy, comforting Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole is ready to add some spook to your Halloween table!

Well, friends, we’re officially headed into the season of cute food. Over the next few months, every food blogger in town will be working hard to figure out how they can turn a meatball into a monster, spaghetti into brains, and a slice of pizza into a Santa hat.

Typically, I’m not one for “cute food.” I much prefer plain old, unfussy, delicious food. But I have to admit I find myself getting swept up in the holiday preparations this time of year. I mean, who can resist a jack o’lantern cupcake or a pilgrim hat made out of cookies? There’s something incredibly fun and whimsical about transforming standard, run of the mill ingredients into a beloved holiday symbol.

Today, the #SundaySupper team is kicking off the holiday food madness with Idaho® potato recipes decorated in a spooky Halloween theme. I have to admit, at first the idea seemed challenging. After all, it’s potatoes. I’ve had them baked, fried, roasted, and smothered in cheese and bacon, but I’ve never had them “spookified.”

All it took was a short brainstorm session with the Mr. before I realized there were actually quite a few ways to dress up this pantry staple. We tossed a few different ideas around before settling on this creepy crawly Loaded Mashed Potato Spider Web Casserole.

Now, as much as I’m getting into this cute food thing, I’m never willing to sacrifice looks for taste. Luckily, this casserole tastes as good as it looks. Creamy, buttery mashed potatoes are loaded with cheese and covered in a sour cream spider web. Bits of crumbled bacon not only add their savory crunch, but also make it appear the spider has had quite a successful day of luring unfortunate souls into his web. The result is a loaded potato pie that’s just as comfortable at a Halloween party as it is on your Thanksgiving table (maybe nix the spider web for that one). However you choose to serve it, this is pure carby comfort food.

The other good news about this dish? It’s a cinch to make. You don’t have to spend hours with tweezers and a piping bag to make something fun for your next party! This spider web pattern only requires a zip lock bag, a dollop of sour cream, and about two minutes. I used a cheapo dollar store plastic spider as the topper on this casserole, but you can also use an olive ring to make an edible one. Simply use one olive ring for the body, then slice the rings in half and arrange them around the body for legs.

I can’t wait for you to check out all of the other ways the #SundaySupper team has decorated their Idaho® potatoes this week. It’s a virtual spud costume party up in here! From zombies to brains to mummies, you’ll be shocked at all the ways you can incorporate potatoes into your Halloween party menu.

You can find more creepy crawly Halloween ideas on our Pinterest board. To learn more about Idaho® Potatoes, check out their website, and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for more taterspiration! <<That’s right. I just made up a new word.

Spooky Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole Yield: 8 Print Ingredients 2 lbs. Idaho® potatoes

1 Tablespoon salt

4 Tablespoons butter

3/4-1 cup milk or half and half

Additional salt and pepper, to taste

4 ounces cheddar or colby jack cheese, shredded

8 slices bacon

1/3 cup sour cream Instructions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer on the stove top. Peel and chop the potatoes into medium sized chunks. Add the potatoes and a Tablespoon of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, but not falling apart. Meanwhile, fry the bacon on the stovetop until crispy. Remove the bacon strips to a paper towel lined plate. Once they're cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon and set aside. When the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander, then return them to the pot. Place the pot back on the burner, and use a potato masher to mash them over very low heat. We want most of the steam to escape. Continue mashing until no lumps remain. Turn off the heat, then add 4 Tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of milk or cream. Slowly mash in the added ingredients until smooth. Continue to add the cream, a little bit at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Sometimes I add a full cup, and sometimes it's only 3/4 cup. Taste the potatoes and season with salt and pepper as needed. Spread the potatoes out into a 9 inch deep dish pie dish and cover with shredded cheese and the crumbled bacon. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until cheese is melted. Allow the casserole to cool for 10-15 minutes before adding the spider web. To make the web, add the sour cream to a zip lock bag and cut a tiny hole in one corner. Twist the bag above the sour cream and use your hand to squeeze the sour cream towards the hole. You may want to practice drawing a line once or twice before doing it on the casserole. You'll start the web by drawing four straight lines through the center of the casserole, like you would cut a pie. Start by making a T through the center, and then follow that with an X through the center. In the end, you should have eight equal spaces. Starting in the center of the pie, draw a small circle, connecting each of the eight sections. Move a few inches outward and draw another circle. Move another inch or two outward and draw one final circle. Top with a fake spider of one made from olives. Serve while the potatoes are still warm. You can also prepare this ahead of time, refrigerate, then bake the day of and add the spider web right before serving. Did you make this recipe? Leave a review, or head over to Instagram and share a photo! Tag your projects with #neighborfoodies!

Recipe by NeighborFood

This post is sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission. All opinions are my own.