Christie tells what goes into his mashed potatoes
By JILL COLVIN, Associated Press
Nov 26, 2014 5:14 PM CST
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, left, and Newark Archbishop Bernard Hebda converse while preparing plates to hand out during a pre-Thanksgiving meal at the St. John's Church soup kitchen, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014, in Newark, N.J. Members of the Christie administration have been participating in their...   (Associated Press)

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has long boasted about his mashed potatoes, which he'll be whipping up Thursday for his family's Thanksgiving feast.

Christie volunteered Wednesday at a soup kitchen in Newark. He says, "I don't have a lot of skills in cooking, but that's one of them."

His wife, Mary Pat Christie, vouches for him. She says "his mashed potatoes are the best anyone's ever had."

Christie says he made the recipe up as he went along and "put all the stuff in there that I like."

So what does it involve, besides peeled potatoes? Boiled and pureed rutabaga, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, Romano cheese, milk and heavy cream.

He says the key is to hand-mash the potatoes so they don't get sticky and to serve them hot.