Make Mashed Potatoes Taste Like Sour Cream & Onion Chips With An Irish Twist

You're likely quite familiar with mashed potatoes by now. Odds are that the easy and filling dish has graced tables in your childhood and adulthood alike — and if you've seen the dish that many times over the years, it probably doesn't inspire too much excitement in you these days. Perhaps it is for this reason that there are so many articles listing how to spruce up your mashed potatoes beyond the starchy monotony you might know them for. For example, you can elevate the taste of your mashed potatoes by cooking them in half-and-half, or you can even turn your leftovers into loaded mashed potato balls for a different and exciting option. But it turns out that you don't have to look too far for a foolproof way to add some pep to your potatoes' step — just look to traditional Irish cuisine for some inspiration.

Colcannon is a beloved Irish dish, and one of the meals you'll see enjoyed by Ireland's own on St. Patrick's Day. A rich blend of potatoes, milk/cream, and (traditionally) cabbage and green onion, colcannon essentially serves as an elevated and even heartier mashed potato dish all on its own. But you can also use colcannon's ingredients to add some wonderful flavor to your usual mashed potatoes. Just add some browned cabbage and green onion to your mashed potatoes, and you'll find that you've incorporated a taste eerily reminiscent of sour cream and onion chips.

Taking elements of colcannon and using them in your mashed potatoes isn't a new or even very contentious idea; some of the secrets to making mashed potatoes taste even better take direct inspiration from the Irish staple. Using some cabbage and green onion is an effective method for elevating your potatoes, but it's not the only way you can use colcannon to turn your mashed potatoes from a neglected side dish to the shining star of your dinner.

If you found that the sour cream and onion chip-like taste was up your alley, it would be worth your while to try to aim for that taste even more by using heavy cream (or even some sour cream, for that matter) in your mashed potatoes. This will give the spuds a much richer and creamier flavor than regular milk, and will in turn give the dish extra depth and decadence. It will also lend even more of a creamy backbone to the sour cream and onion flavor you've already produced.

After you give your mashed potatoes the sour cream and onion treatment for the first time, you might be brimming with creative ideas for giving other dishes this same treatment. After all, the simple additions of cabbage and green onion go such a long way in amplifying both the flavor and texture of your potatoes. But once you move past the honeymoon period of your colcannon-esque mashed potatoes, you can try using your newfound knowledge for other potato dishes, too.

Colcannon is traditionally made with mashed potatoes, but you can use many of the same ingredients and whip up a rustic potato salad instead. You can go the extra decadent mile and make a tempting colcannon twice-baked potato dish, complete with a luscious buttery center. Or, create some colcannon potato skins with the help of some warm, crispy bacon. Needless to say, once you let the proverbial floodgates open, the influence of colcannon can seep into just about every potato dish you make.