Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until fork tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle with care. Peel and discard the skin. I cut mine in half and the skin basically falls right off of them with barely any effort. Place the potatoes in the bowl of a food processor*.

Step 2

While the potatoes are cooling from the oven, pour the cream into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the scrapings from the vanilla bean, as well as the vanilla bean pod itself. Bring to a simmer and heat for 5 minutes, scraping the sides and stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Use tongs to remove the vanilla bean or simply pour through a strainer onto the potatoes in the food processor. Add the softened butter.

Step 3

Puree the mixture until completely smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Keep covered and warm until serving. Enjoy!