One Ingredient From Your Fridge Is All You Need For Tastier Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes have been an American household staple since a recipe for them first popped up in 18^th-century cookbooks. Since then, home cooks have learned easy tricks to make mashed potatoes fluffier or other hacks that eliminate and avoid pesky mashed potato lumps, but if you're looking to boost the actual taste of your mashed spuds, try Greek yogurt.

The push for more protein in your diet is everywhere right now, and Greek yogurt is an excellent protein source. But using Greek yogurt as a recipe enhancer does a lot more than boost your mashed potato's protein quotient — it more importantly boosts its taste. Greek yogurt delivers a creamy consistency that's not overly sweet (so long as you watch the sugar content on your yogurt container). That Greek yogurt tang gives a nice oomph to the flavor-neutral starch that characterizes the non-taste of a potato.

Adding Greek yogurt to mashed potatoes is a simple enough process, but it does require care. Given the fact that mashed potatoes are best (and most safely) served piping hot around 165 degrees, mixing in Greek yogurt without having it curdle takes a bit of patience and systematic skill. The end result is certainly worth it.

First off, Greek yogurt in your mashed potatoes is a tasty treat — not a probiotic one. Starting at temps around 115 degrees, the active cultures in Greek yogurt are destroyed. That's fine anyway for flavor and texture, as the Greek yogurt still adds a tangy zip along with a creamy, smooth mashed potato feel. For best results, consider bringing your Greek yogurt to room temperature before folding it into your mashed potatoes recipe. Grabbing Greek yogurt from the fridge and dolloping it immediately into hot potatoes is a shock to cold yogurt and can cause it to split and curdle. If you're also concerned about your potatoes turning out too thick, which might be an issue if you are using Greek yogurt in place of heavy cream, try diluting the yogurt with a splash of water. Just be sure to mix it up properly before adding it to your mashed potatoes.

Another tip: Add Greek yogurt only after you have finished an initial rough mash of your potatoes. You might also benefit from going with full-fat Greek yogurt, which will give your mashed potatoes an extra-creamy finish. And, since Greek yogurt has already elevated your mashed potatoes to a healthier status, try taking that all the way and using Yukon Gold potatoes rather than russets. Yukon Golds tend to run a little more waxy and a little less dry, and therefore are a little less likely to require extra filler fats, like butter.