The Old-School Irish Upgrade That Banishes Bland Mashed Potatoes

A creamy helping of mashed potatoes is one of those classic side dishes so satisfying you don't really need a main course to go with them. That is, unless they're bland. Then you're grasping for anything within reach to infuse some flavor and give your palate something to get excited about. Some folks claim that using olive oil instead of butter in mashed potatoes is the key to a blissful bowl, but I'm not convinced. I prefer my fluffy spuds to be as buttery as possible, more in line with an old-school Irish variation of the dish that incorporates even more goodies to upgrade the profile.

The Takeout spoke with Kathleen Boureston, the owner of Gonna Want Seconds, about the best ways to give mashed potatoes a flavor boost. She didn't hesitate to point folks toward colcannon, a dish that includes ingredients everyone should be adding to mashed potatoes. "Colcannon includes a lot more butter than your typical mashed potato recipe, as well as green onions and cooked greens like kale or cabbage in the mix," she said. "These ingredients add a ton of flavor and texture."

Like many old-school dishes that became classics over time, colcannon has humble beginnings. Potatoes and cabbage were readily available to the bulk of the Irish population in the 17th century, when colcannon came to be. The butter wasn't just mixed in — it was also customarily melted and poured over the top, creating a little pool of golden deliciousness. Throughout the years, people have created multiple modified recipes for colcannon, taking it into the 21st century with even more tasty ingredients that elevate the dish.

If you need to impart some flavor into bland mashed potatoes on the fly, adding a packet of ranch seasoning will work in a pinch. But if you really want to make a batch of mashed potatoes worth remembering, keep a recipe for colcannon in your back pocket. However, Kathleen Boureston noted that before you start introducing all the supplemental tidbits, your focus should be on the main component of the dish. "Add all of the additional ingredients after the potatoes are mashed for the best results," she said.

Kale, cabbage, and green onions (and lots of butter) add tons of flavor on their own, but there's always room for improvement in any recipe. And people do love to take a crack at elevating colcannon with flavorful extras. "Some people even include bacon," Boureston said. Others prefer to combine Martha Stewart's secret mashed potatoes ingredient, cream cheese, with the spuds for a super creamy texture. Incorporating cheddar cheese or sour cream would have a similar effect.

If you're looking to modify the texture, Boureston pointed to a British classic similar to colcannon, although it does significantly alter the dish's identity. "Bubble and squeak is a British dish made from fried potatoes and cabbage that has a similar vibe to it, but the potatoes are chunkier and fried instead of mashed," she said. Whether you fry it up British-style or include cheese for a more luscious bite, Irish colcannon takes mashed potatoes to an entirely new level — with the additional bonus of getting more veggies into your diet.