The Tomato Twist Your Mashed Potatoes Need

Fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes are beloved for many reasons. They're easy to make, require only a few inexpensive ingredients, and taste delicious on their own (or at least with a little salt and pepper). But one of the best things about mashed potatoes is that they offer an almost completely blank canvas for experimentation. As soon as you've perfected the way you cook mashed potatoes, you can start throwing in flavorful favorites like roasted garlic and miso, brown butter, or even sour cream, to name a few. However, tomatoes might just be the perfect unexpected twist that takes your mild, creamy mashed potatoes to heights you've never even considered.

Now, no one's asking you to slice or dice a chilled, raw tomato on top of your potatoes. Think instead about the tart-sweet flavor that ketchup adds to hash browns or tomato-based hot sauce brings to roasted potatoes. When you strongly concentrate a tomato's flavors, they become a potato's best friend. That's why sun-dried tomatoes are the perfect mashed potato upgrade.

Sun-dried tomatoes are fresh tomatoes that have been dried out by the sun (go figure), or the oven, an air fryer, or a dehydrator. After releasing most of their water content, the tomatoes are then packed in oil, sometimes alongside a few spices, to make them shelf-stable. Like tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes are a great cooking shortcut for introducing powerful tomato flavor. Plus, you can even make sun-dried tomatoes at home.

Adding a sun-dried tomato twist to your mashed potatoes couldn't be easier. They can either be added as a topping or mixed in throughout the dish. But there is an essential first step you shouldn't overlook. While a crunchy breadcrumb topping can be delicious, the best mashed potato upgrades, like melty roasted garlic or caramelized onions, won't disrupt the dish's iconically smooth consistency. Out of the package, many sun-dried tomatoes are distinctly chewy, so consider rehydrating them a bit before incorporating them into the dish. To do so, just place your tomatoes in a bowl of hot water and let them sit for a few minutes to plump up. Then you're ready to chop them up for a tasty topping.

To build on the umami-rich flavor of the sun-dried fruit, try mixing a handful of diced sun-dried tomatoes with parmesan, olive oil, and red pepper flakes as a final layer for your potatoes. Then garnish with either a few basil leaves or small dollops of basil pesto for a delicious Italian spin on the classic American comfort food side dish. You can also replace some of the butter in your mashed potato mixture with the sun-dried tomato oil for even more piquancy and a touch of auburn color. Or, for an even smoother consistency, blend the sun-dried tomatoes with oil, parmesan, and pine nuts to create a sun-dried tomato pesto that can be integrated seamlessly.