The Flavor-Packed Creamy Ingredient That Belongs In Your Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a famously easy way to prepare spuds (you simply cook and crush them with cream and seasonings), but because potatoes are such a mild tasting base for a dish, it can still feel somewhat plain even with seasonings. Two easy ways to punch up mashed potatoes include making them creamier or adding extra flavors. To that first point, you might have heard of adding cream cheese to mashed potatoes. It's how Martha Stewart makes her mashed potatoes especially creamy, and that alone makes the dish richer. Would any of those flavored cream cheeses work, or would that be too much? We spoke to Kathleen Boureston, owner of Gonna Want Seconds, who was very reassuring.

According to Boureston, "Flavored cream cheese is an easy way to pack a ton of flavor and richness into mashed potatoes. I really like using Boursin cheese, which isn't technically cream cheese, but has a similar effect." There are some really good bagel spots in NYC which use flavored cream cheeses, and these can range from veggie cream cheeses to spicy jalapeño cream cheeses; perfect if you want spicy mashed potatoes. Boureston's Boursin suggestion also works because it's a soft, easily spreadable cheese which tastes sort of like goat cheese. It's similar to a cream cheese in texture, but has herbs like parsley and chives inside of it. It works as a cheesy swap for heavy cream in soup, and it can work just as well here.

When we asked Boureston exactly what kind of flavored cream cheese to use, she said, "The brand isn't particularly important, but make sure you're choosing savory flavors and that they are fully softened before adding them to the mashed potatoes." Chive and onion cream cheese is an especially popular choice for mashed potatoes, but garlic and herb cream cheese also easily fits. A sweeter flavor like strawberry cream cheese would make for an odd pairing with potatoes, and while people have certainly done it before, you'd be making more of a potato-based dessert than a dinner side dish. Instead, think in the realm of herbs or umami flavors if you want to get creative with your cream cheese choice.

If you're adjusting a mashed potato recipe to include cream cheese, remember to dilute some of the other non-potato ingredients to keep your ratios even. According to Boureston, "I typically add less regular milk or cream when I'm adding cream cheese to the mix. Add the softened, flavored cream cheese first, add just enough liquid to get the texture just the way you like it, and then taste before adding additional seasonings." Alternatively, instead of buying pre-flavored cream cheese, you could recreate the flavor by using plain cream cheese and then adding chives or garlic or other veggies later — these would be among those additional seasonings you'd add toward the end.