Mashed potatoes are the perfect comfort food side dish, but it turns out there is a simple way to make them even tastier. Andrea Vaughan, a cook and founder of Homemade for Elle, explained that mashed potatoes taste so much better if you cook the potatoes in chicken broth and onions instead of just boiling them in plain water.
She said: “The easiest way to make the best mashed potatoes is to boil them in chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you don’t eat meat) with some roughly chopped onion. The potatoes will absorb all the amazing flavours of the broth and onions as they cook, giving you the perfect base to build a mouth-watering dish.”
Potatoes can absorb lots of flavour as they cook which is why it is usually really important to add salt when boiling them.
However, using chicken stock to cook mashed potatoes instead of water infuses much more herbs and seasoning into the potatoes to make even more flavourful mash.
Including onions in the cooking liquid as well adds sweetness to enhance the overall taste without being overpowering.
This simple method brings out a rich depth of flavour in mashed potatoes, which eliminates the need to add cream or butter when mashing them so you get a even more delicious dish.
How to make tastier mashed potatoes
You will need:
- 475ml of chicken stock
- 1.1kg of potatoes (chopped into chunks)
- One white onion (roughly chopped)
Instructions
To begin, chop up the onions, then peel and also cut up the potatoes. You want the potatoes to be cut to roughly the same size.
Add the potatoes and onions into a large pot. Pour in enough chicken broth to cover the potatoes. If you prefer, you can use hot water and chicken stocks instead of chicken broth.
Place the pot on a high temperature until it boils, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover the pot with a lid and let the potatoes cook until they are fork tender.
When the potatoes have softened, do not pour away any of the liquid. Instead mash the potatoes with the onions and chicken stock still in the pot.
Your potatoes will be rich and savoury without having to smother them in cream, milk or butter. However, if you wish to use any extra ingredients simply add them to the pot before mashing the potatoes.