Mashed Potato Variations

Want to add a twist to your spuds? Here are some tasty extras to try for mashed potato variations:

1. Toss peeled parsnips, chopped turnips, or a few handfuls of cauliflower florets in with boiled potatoes and mash according to the recipe below.

2. Mince 3 or 4 garlic cloves and sauté in unsalted butter; fold into mashed potatoes with salt and pepper. (Bonus tip: To peel a whole garlic head easily, wrap in foil and bake 40 minutes at 400° the next time your oven’s on; the cloves will slip out of their paper skins.)

3. Add 4 tablespoons prepared (jar) horseradish or 3 tablespoons freshly grated.

4. Mix in 1/2 cup minced chives or scallions.

5. Crumble 4 strips of cooked bacon and add them with 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (you won’t need extra salt).

6. The Irish have long loved a dish called colcannon: bacon and cabbage mixed with mashed potatoes. Chop 1/2 pound bacon into half-inch pieces and sauté until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add 1/2 head cabbage, sliced, to the pan and saute; until wilted. Fold cabbage and bacon into mashed potatoes. Or make champ, another traditional Irish dish, by adding green onions to the cream and butter as they’re heating.

7. Leftovers? Form them into 3-inch rounds (like little hockey pucks — in shape only!), dust with flour, and pan-fry until well browned on both sides.

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RECIPE