Home cooks share their best tips for perfect mashed potato

Nothing beats a side of creamy mash with dinner. We all have our own methods when cooking mashed potatoes, but could there be another way?

Well, home cooks have shared their tips and tricks for making the perfect mashed potato, and some may leave you surprised. It all started when one woman from the What’s for Dinner Tonight Australia? Facebook page posed a question to the group’s members, asking, “What does everyone put in their mash?”. And it didn’t take long before many of them weighed in.

One woman said they substitute potatoes for cauliflower at their home, adding, “I use cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, salt, pepper and garlic powder.”

Another said that when it comes to making plain mash, they add butter, a half cream and milk mix, and salt and pepper. To punch up the flavour, they recommend adding some garlic and Parmesan cheese.

“Butter, a dash of milk, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder,” another group member said. “Hubby adds mixed herbs to his but I’m not a big fan of that.”

Meanwhile, one woman said, “Just butter, milk, salt and pepper, but the trick to delicious mash is to leave the skin ON!”

Others had some rather odd combination choices, with one recommending adding some Vegemite to the mix, while another said that tzatziki dip or corn relish dip works a treat in mashed potato.

One group member said they like to add more veggies, such as pumpkin, broccoli and cauliflower, seasoned with salt and pepper, to the potato mixture.

And others said, when in doubt, throw in some pork! “Mash the spuds, add butter, milk, crushed garlic, fried chopped bacon and a handful of mixed shredded cheese,” one woman said.

An American chef made headlines across the globe seven months ago after he shared his trick to making super-delicious mash. While the standard method for most people is to boil the potatoes in water before mashing together with butter and cream, Tyler Florence recommends cooking the potatoes in the cream and butter, as it’s an easy way to punch up the flavour. He also likes to add a little olive oil, garlic, sage and rosemary to the pan before boiling.