Grease a 9x13 baking dish with one tablespoon of butter.
In a large bowl mix together the prepared mashed potatoes with six tablespoons of the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, salt, smoked paprika and pepper. Fold in the chopped chives.
Transfer the party potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Dot the top with the remaining one tablespoon of butter.
At this point you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and store overnight in the refrigerator.
When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and remove the plastic wrap. Bake the potatoes for 50 - 60 minutes.