Chef Daniel Le has cooked at Michelin rated restaurants such as Nari and bay area classics Viridian. He makes mashed potato casserole, which is creamy, crispy, and full of flavor

@danielchefle

Our Table is a Potli series highlighting the diversity of experience of the cannabis and culinary communities.

Tell us about your family!

I come from a small Vietnamese American family with both parents and their families escaping post-war Vietnam in the 70s and settled in Milpitas, CA. Vietnamese cultures and traditions have been deep-rooted in my upbringing from the Vietnamese community in San Jose. My cooking reflects my Vietnamese upbringing and utilizes the bountiful ingredients of California.

What was your Thanksgiving table like? Did your family eat “traditional” Thanksgiving foods?We usually celebrate Thanksgiving over lunch at my Aunt’s house, my Mom’s eldest sister. Everyone in the family brings one of two dishes that are a blend of American and Asian: turkey, ham, cranberries, green bean casseroles, fried chicken and shrimp balls from a Chinese restaurant, a Mediterranean salad from my Mom, sometimes my uncles makes his Vietnamese BBQ Beef Ribs, and a variety of Vietnamese dishes my family wants to make for that year.My favorite dish to bring is my version of the classic mashed potatoes and gravy, a velvety baked Mashed Potatoes Casserole with a flavorful crispy top crust served with a light, but complex gravy that can be a complementary sauce for anything on the table.

Looking back on your Thanksgiving experiences, is there anything you’ve learned or would like to pass on in your traditions going forward?Traditionally I used to head straight from dinner to shopping malls for Black Friday. Now, spend my Fridays outdoors to hike, rock climb, or mountain bike. It's also a great way to burn off all those delicious calories from yesterday's favorite feast.Also a general rule for second helpings: don’t follow up with a third/fourth right away. Give your appetite a rest before gorging on more. Your stomach will thank you for it.

What’s a Thanksgiving recipe you’d like to share?
This recipe is an adaptation from a recipe I found from SeriousEats.com, one of my main sources for American recipes. I just changed the method of cooking the potatoes to baking vs boiling so that it doesn't have extra moisture in the potato for a watery mashed potato. The pictures belong to Serious Eats, but I plan on doing a test run this week so I’ll take my own photo then!

INGREDIENTS

Crispy Mashed Potato Casserole

• 5 pounds (2.3kg) russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

• Kosher salt

• 1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces; 115g), cubed and slightly softened1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream (or creme fraise)

• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream

• Toppings 6 thin slices bacon, diced1 1/2 cups (180g)

• panko bread crumbs

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and light-green parts only

• 6 ounces (170g) grated cheddar cheese

• 1 tablespoon of Potli’s Sriracha

Other Toppings

• Potato Chips

• Fried Garlic

• Shallots

• Furikake

• Mushrooms

• Chilies

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).Create beds of salt for each potato and a sheet tray for the potato to rest on top of while it is baking.Poke potatoes with a fork several times all over so that the moisture can be released from the skin as it bakes.Bake potatoes on the beds of salts in the oven until tender.Cut each potato in half and push the cut side down through a wire rack, throw away the skin.Mash PotatoesIf using a potato masher, transfer cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl, add butter and sour cream, and mash until only very small lumps remain, then add heavy cream and fold with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated.If using a ricer, rice potatoes into a large mixing bowl, then fold in butter, sour cream, and heavy cream until fully incorporated.If using a food mill, pass potatoes and butter through the food mill into a large mixing bowl, then add sour cream and heavy cream and fold with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated. Season with salt.Transfer potatoes to a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and smooth surface. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to 5 days.Bake Potato CasseroleTwo hours before serving, remove potatoes from the refrigerator and let stand for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).In a saucepan, cook bacon over medium-high heat until the fat has rendered and bacon is browned and crispy, about 6 minutes.Add panko to a large mixing bowl and scrape bacon and its rendered fat into it.Stir well to combine.Stir in scallions, cheese, fried garlic, potato chips, and any other crunchy toppings and seasonings then season with salt. I also like to add in Potli’s Olive OilSpread bread crumb topping on potatoes.Bake the casserole until topping is browned and potatoes are heated for about 45 minutes.Serve