Southwest Mashed Potato Souffle

Ready, Set, Cook! Special Edition Contest Entry: This makes a great brunch dish with a breakfast ham steak or side of bacon. It's also a great side dish for carne asada. By using a larger souffle dish than necessary, you eliminate the need to wrap the top of the dish to allow for expansion. It's a real time-saver and the results are perfect!

• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 1 souffle

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon butter
• 2  tablespoons  fine breadcrumbs
• 1  cup  Simply Potatoes Traditional Mashed Potatoes
• 4  eggs, separated
• 3⁄4 cup  whipping cream
• 1  cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 2  green onions, thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 cup fresh cilantro, finely minced
• 1 (1 1/4ounce) envelope  taco seasoning
•  chopped cilantro (to garnish) (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom and sides of a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish with the butter. Add the bread crumbs to the dish and tilt and shake the dish to coat the inside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, egg yolks, cream, monterey jack cheese, green onions, cilantro and taco seasoning, set aside.
3. In another medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, but be careful not to overbeat.
4. Stir 1/3 of egg whites into potato mixture. Gently fold in remaining egg whites with a rubber spatula until just incorporated. Do not over mix.
5. Spoon the mixture into your prepared dish and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until puffy and golden brown. Serve immediately.