11 Ways To Make Instant Mashed Potatoes Taste Expensive
The only thing better than mashed potatoes is mashed potatoes without the leg work (e.g. peeling, chopping, and boiling). That's where instant mashed potatoes come in. A staple in kitchens across America and available in a wide range of brands, this interpretation of the beloved comfort food that goes with just about anything can be prepared in mere minutes, sans the mess.
And while they are a solid addition to your meal pretty much straight out of the packet, they can be accused of being a little bland. This is why the addition of some extra ingredients can take your next pack of instant mashed potatoes from humble side dish to the star of your plate. From obvious additions like gravy and sour cream and chives to those of a more gourmet nature (think beurre blanc sauce, blue cheese, and brown butter), incredible-tasting instant mashed potatoes are easier to create than you think.
Cheese makes everything better, including instant mashed potatoes
Cheese is a perfect way to get the instant mashed potato party started. Because no matter what kind of fromage you favor, you'll find that folding some through your instant spud will make it taste a thousand times better. The options for adding cheese to packet-mix mashed potato are endless, but Parmesan is a great place to start (especially the powdered variety which has a subtler flavor and is more easily absorbed), along with shredded cheddar.
Cream cheese, mascarpone, crème fraiche, or sour cream (though not technically a cheese) can also be used and will enhance the creamy texture of the potatoes while adding a slight tanginess. If you like a stronger flavor or just really want to knock your instant mashed potato game out of the park, consider using something more robust, like goat's cheese or a creamy blue (in both cases, be sure to add just a little at a time!).
Top your taters with anything (and everything) you please
Another quick-fire way to level up your instant mashed potato game is by adding toppings — we do it with regular mashed spud, so why not here? And the best bit is, these toppings needn't be fancy to taste amazing. They could be as simple as a handful of fresh herbs (chives are particularly well-suited), a glug of flavored olive oil, or a sprinkling of your favorite seasoning (bagel seasoning and chicken salt are especially delicious).
Sauces are another obvious choice. Create your very own KFC moment by drowning your mash in gravy (add cheese curds and you've got poutine), or channel your inner Francophile and whip up some beurre blanc sauce or brown butter for a particularly gourmet instant mashed spud experience. Breadcrumbs blitzed with garlic and herbs are another top idea, while sriracha, chili oil, or hot sauce also make tasty albeit spicy additions. When it comes to toppings, instant mashed potatoes are literally a blank canvas.
Play around with texture
Texture is a huge part of the overall eating experience, so it makes sense that adding some to your instant mashed potatoes (instantly!) makes them taste better. Fried, finely diced pieces of bacon or pancetta are great for adding crunch and saltiness, while caramelized onion, chopped scallion or sauteed mushrooms will no doubt appease vegetarian tastebuds. Cabbage of course is another option and a popular one at that, having long been used in the famed Irish mashed potato dish, colcannon. Roasted garlic cloves, roughly mashed and stirred through, are also a fail-safe idea.
Another great textural addition that you may not have thought of is potato chips (yes, that's right, potato chips in your mashed potato). According to America's Test Kitchen, crushing your favorite flavor of potato chips and folding them through mashed spud is an absolute game-changer. Naturally, you'll want to serve this with more potato chips on top.
Use regular or compound butter
Everything is better with butter, and instant mashed potatoes are no exception. Indeed, quite literally adding some butter into the mix is one of the most fail-safe (not to mention easiest!) ways to elevate your instant spud game, because doing so brings about a richer, creamier, and far more sophisticated flavor than can ever be gained through the use of water alone, or with margarine or other butter/fat substitutes. Salted or unsalted butters both work well here, but always try to use the best quality butter you can buy. Simply add in place of said substitutes, or mix the desired amount through instant mashed potatoes that only require water, during the cooking process.
Alternatively, you could forgo regular butter for compound butter (butter mixed with other ingredients), which will infuse your instant spuds with an even greater depth of flavor. Compound butters seasoned with garlic and herbs like parsley, chives, basil, thyme, and sage are readily available from most supermarkets and pair perfectly with potatoes — however, if you want to create a real restaurant-quality mash, consider adding a butter flavored with shallots, cheese, or even truffle (look for these at specialist grocers, or make your own compound butter at home). And if you really want to go to tater town, allow a pat or two of your preferred butter to melt over the top of your finished potatoes.
Add some miso into the mix
Miso and mashed potatoes may seem like an unlikely combo but really, they're a match made in side dish heaven. A fermented paste combining soybeans, salt, and koji, miso falls under the umami category of ingredients (umami meaning "pleasant, savory taste" in Japanese) and brings a distinct earthiness and saltiness to food when added. It is widely used in Japanese cooking for everything from soups and sauces through to noodles and rice, and as so makes a natural — albeit unique — addition to the humble mashed spud.
Miso is readily available in a number of different varieties — white, yellow, red, and the less common black. The white (shiro) and yellow (shinshu) types are more mellow in flavor than their red and black counterparts and so work best with dishes of a more delicate nature, like mashed potatoes. And the best bit? Imparting this rich umami flavor into your spuds really couldn't be easier — simply whisk a teaspoon into the hot water used to rehydrate your potato flakes. You can always add more if you want a stronger flavor.
If you want to make your miso infused spuds really sing, consider throwing some cloves of roasted garlic into the mix. Miso and roasted garlic work exceptionally well together thanks to the latter's rich, nutty and almost sweet quality, which perfectly balances the acidity and saltiness of the miso and will give your spuds a real restaurant quality finish.
Swap water for chicken or vegetable stock
Now for arguably the easiest instant mashed potato hack of all — swapping out water for chicken or vegetable stock. Stocks have been used by cooks for generations thanks to their wonderfully complex flavor, achieved through gently simmering bones (where meat based stocks are concerned) or vegetables (where vegetable based stocks are concerned) in water, alongside herbs and other ingredients. This results in a deeply concentrated flavor that will elevate the overall taste of your mashed spuds far more than if you simply used water. There's also something deliciously ironic about the fact you are combining something so easily prepared (instant mashed potatoes) with something that quite literally takes hours to make (stock).
Chicken stock will give your mashed potatoes a richer, saltier flavor (without tasting overly like chicken), while vegetable stock is a more subtle option that will of course suit vegetarian and vegan taste buds. Take things a step further and pair the stock in your spuds to the rest of your meal, Mashed potatoes flavored with chicken stock, for example, would go great alongside fried chicken.
And this hack couldn't be more straightforward — all you have to do is replace the water in your instant mashed potatoes with the same amount of stock. You can use either powdered stock mixed with hot water, heated liquid stock, or even homemade stock if you have it on hand. Broth (made from simmered meat) can be used in the same way.
Stir through some hummus
Again, hummus may seem like an odd ingredient to add to instant mashed potatoes. But trust us when we say it's a combination that's as delicious as it is unique (though, to be fair, adding hummus to regular mashed potatoes is actually quite common). A Middle Eastern staple typically made from chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) blended with tahini, olive oil, salt, lemon, and garlic to create a creamy spread, hummus appears in everything from doner kebabs, mezze platters, and pita, through to its simplest yet arguably most common form — a dip.
The rich, thick qualities of hummus make it a perfect match for instant mashed potatoes. Not only will adding some of this ingredient to your spuds give them a subtle Middle Eastern flavor that naturally works well with dishes of a Middle Eastern nature, it's also an easy way of introducing texture into a product that, due to its processed nature, often has very little. Indeed, hummus' whip-like consistency will help your instant taters appear more like the homemade variety, which is what all instant mashed potatoes want to be when they grow up. Hummus is naturally dairy-free, so is a particularly great option for those who can't eat milk based products.
Regular hummus works best with a dish like mashed potatoes or a version flavored with pumpkin, carrots, or sweet potato if you want to get extra fancy. It should be stirred through your spuds towards the end, before adding any seasoning.
Switch out water for milk
Most instant mashed potatoes rely on water to bring them back to life, but we think milk is a far more flavorful alternative. After all, you wouldn't make real mashed spuds without a splash or two of the good stuff, so why not extend that same courtesy to the box of dehydrated potato flakes sitting in your cupboard? Adding milk to your spuds will give them a richer flavor and a creamier, more luxurious finish than you'll get from using water alone and in doing so, create the illusion of real homestyle mashed potatoes.
Whole cow's milk is the easiest way to create deliciously smooth and velvety mashed potatoes, however there's nothing stopping you from adding a slosh of cream or even employing a cheeky half and half combo (half milk, half cream) for an extra indulgent spud experience. For a less heavy version of instant mashed potatoes that still retains some of the characteristics of whole milk, half milk and half water or a 1-to-1 ratio of evaporated milk and water will work well. Buttermilk is another option, and will add a unique tang to your potatoes due to its acidic quality, while also keeping down the fat content. In any case, you'll want to gently warm your milk of choice before adding it to your potato flakes.
Throw in a dash (or two) of salt
It's common knowledge that seasoning — specifically, salt — is a cook's best friend. This is particularly true when it comes to instant mashed potatoes, with many brands having a tendency to be a bit bland, while others seem to have the opposite problem. (For the purpose of this piece, we'll focus on the former.) Salt enhances the natural flavor of food, and while we advise against being too zealous when adding it to your cooking (not only because of the fact it might spoil the flavor, but because too much salt is bad for you), the right amount will make your meal sing.
Regular table salt and flaky sea salt are both perfectly acceptable varieties to use in mashed potatoes, but if you want your spuds to taste on par with a fancy restaurant, consider something more gourmet. Himalayan pink salt, garlic salt, smoked salt, and even truffle salt are all great options if you're feeling a bit bougie (just bear in mind you may need to hunt these down from a specialist grocer).
The main thing to remember is that you want whatever salt you use to be easily absorbed into the potatoes, so avoid using large, crystal-like salt granules, unless they can be ground into a finer form. As mentioned, it's important to err on the side of caution when using salt, so sprinkle in just a little at a time when adding to your spuds, tasting as you go.
Turn up the heat with some spice
Whoever said "spice is nice" was clearly referring to its use in instant mashed potatoes. Not spices per se — but spicy ingredients. The most obvious being chilies, which will contrast nicely with the delicate, creamy nature of the spuds and add a solid kick of flavor even when used in their most mild form. Speaking of which, there's no shortage of chili varieties for you to experiment with — whether you like breathing fire (in which case, you should opt for something like jalapeños), or you prefer your heat on the sweeter, more subtle side (consider roasted peppers your new best friend).
Opt for fresh, jarred, or dried chilies, or a mixture of chili powders if you want extra depth — there really are no rules here. You could even take things a step further by adding some brine from a jar of chilies; while chili oil and chili pastes like harissa will also work well. Simply fold in your chosen chili (some of which will obviously need to be chopped or crumbled beforehand) as the final step in the cooking process.
One final word on chilies — consider pairing your favored firepower with the rest of your meal. Mashed potatoes spiked with jalapeños or poblano chilies (dried jalapeños), for example, would go great alongside Mexican dishes. And if chilies aren't quite your thing but you like the idea of adding spice to your spuds, why not try mixing through a little wasabi.
Don't be afraid to add more potatoes
We realize that adding potatoes to a product that's made almost entirely from potatoes may seem redundant, but doing so is actually an effective and super simple way of introducing extra taste, texture, and all round oomph to packet mix spuds. And we're not talking about adding baked potatoes, roasted potatoes, or any other form of potato that requires cooking for that matter. We're talking about adding canned potatoes.
This kitchen staple is your one way ticket to creating spuds with the chunky, rustic quality typical of homemade mashed potatoes, only without all the peeling, chopping, and other admin they typically require. Indeed, all it takes is a can of potatoes and a few simple steps, and your instant mashed potatoes will be masquerading as proper homemade mash in no time. Start by rinsing the potatoes and heating them through (warm them briefly in a small amount of hot milk with some chopped herbs if you really want to get gourmet), before mashing them to your preferred consistency and finally, adding them to your prepared potato flakes. Be sure to leave some larger chunks of potato behind for peak homemade mash vibes. If you're out of canned spuds, you could use leftover roasted or baked potatoes that have been gently warmed through, instead.