FOOD NEWS
15 Mistakes You're Probably Making With Mashed Potatoes
BY CARMEN VARNER
Not Salting Water
Adding a generous heap of salt to the water is a crucial step in mashed potato preparation. It acts as a seasoning and helps add flavor from within.
If you skip this step, you're missing out on layers of flavor you can infuse throughout the entire potato. Instead of table salt, use sea salt, kosher salt, or flavored salt.
Not Dicing Evenly
When the spuds are diced unevenly, they'll cook at different rates, making some pieces completely mushy and overcooked while other pieces are firm and undone.
Cut potatoes evenly in a simple large dice with a sharp knife. This will give you an even texture every time, so you aren't left with a combination of mushy and hard spuds.
Not Adding Cream
Pouring in sour cream, cream cheese, crème fraîche, or mayonnaise will up the richness of your mashed potatoes, giving them a velvety quality and enhanced flavor.
A creamy addition can infuse mashed potatoes with various flavor profiles, from tangy to lightly sour and nutty. It's an easy add-in to give your potatoes a delightful texture.
Only Eating Hot
Cold mashed potatoes can be delicious on a hot day. You can incorporate large chunks of potatoes and integrate condiments like spicy mustard or mayonnaise, too.
To make cold mashed potatoes, boil and mash spuds, season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, or paprika, and let it chill in the fridge. Top it with chives or green onions.
Not Adding Cheese
Add any cheese to mashed spuds per your preference. Use mozzarella cheese to switch up the texture, or bake them with feta for a pop of creamy, salty cheese.
You can even use two cheeses that pair well together, such as cheddar cheese and mozzarella or Gruyère and Parmesan.