Mashed potato with cream cheese and heavy cream is so versatile and can accompany most hearty dishes; casseroles, roasts and even top a good old fashioned cottage pie. It’s super quick to make and is rich in Vitamin C, B6 and potassium. For fluffy and extra special mashed potatoes adding traditional or vegan cream cheese is a must. For complete indulgence add a bit of heavy cream instead of milk.
Getting the consistency of mashed potatoes right takes a bit of practice as you need the right amount of fluids to make it creamy, but not too watery. If you do end up with too much water or liquids you can let it simmer on very low with the lid open until the liquid is reduced, but be careful as you can easily burn the bottom of the saucepan, which can ruin the flavour.
Which Potatoes are Best for a Creamy Mash?
Floury potato varieties are your best option for mashing, but you can mash just about any potato if you chose to do so, just be careful not to create a potato paste as that’s not ideal. The most popular varieties to use for mashed potatoes will vary by country. In the US the most common will be Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold and in the UK we’ll typically use Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes for mashing you can also use Desiree for a more velvety mash. Using a mix of potatoes can help add interesting texture to your mash, but not to worry if you only have one variety, that’s perfectly fine as well.
What you’ll Need
- organic potato such as Meris Piper, King Edwards, Yukon Gold or Russet
- organic butter or vegan alternative butter
- organic cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- heavy cream,organic full-fat milk, almond or soy milk
- finely chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper for serving (optional)
Top Tips for Perfect Mashed Potatoes
For the best result be mindful of the following common pitfalls when making mashed potato:
- Salt the cooking water to add extra fluffiness to your mash
- Start the potatoes off in cold salted water, heat to a boil and reduce to a fast simmer, this will ensure they cook evenly
- Don’t leave too much water before mashing the potatoes as that will cause a runny mess
- Don’t overcook the potatoes, they are ready when you can easily press a fork into the largest piece of potato
- Be careful of overworking, rather use a hand potato masher as a food processor or hand blender will create a texture that is too fine
- Don’t let it sit around or refrigerate overnight. Potatoes are best served soon after being cooked
Recipe Variations. Making Vegan Mashed Potatoes with “Cream Cheese”
For dairy-free and vegan mashed potatoes with cream cheese, you can easily swap the cream cheese and butter with vegan cream cheese and butter. This should be a simple replacement.
Rosemary, thyme and chives go really well with cream cheese mashed potatoes. Feel free to buy flavoured cream cheese as that will add an extra layer of flavour to your mashed potatoes.
Even though it’s tempting to buy low-fat cream cheese, it’s best to use full fat, organic cream cheese as you’ll need less and there is evidence that low fat is not always the best option. Some Organic heavy cream/milk, for example, contains more Omega 3 fatty acids which are vital for good brain health. Rather eat a little bit less of the cream cheese mashed potato and use full-fat organic dairy that contains more nutrients, if you are using dairy products of course.
This Mashed Potato with Cream Cheese recipe works really well with our Veggie Stroganoff.
Mashed Potato with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 680-700 g organic potato such as Meris Piper, King Edwards, Yukon Gold or Russet. Peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp organic butter or vegan alternative butter
- 1/3 cup organic cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream,organic full-fat milk, almond or soy milk
- a handful of finely chopped chives and freshly ground black pepper for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a saucepan place the potatoes in cold, salted water, just enough to cover them. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a fast simmer until they are tender. This should take roughly 10-15 minutes.
- Once cooked drain the potatoes in a colander and return to the saucepan. Add the heavy cream, cream cheese and butter. Then gently mash the potatoes until they are velvety and smooth. Season and serve with a sprinkling of chives.
FAQs
It is generally easier to peel the potatoes before boiling and we find that they will be a bit more fluffy and less dry this way around. If you boil the potatoes first you’ll have to wait for them to cool down before peeling as they will be really hot if you try to peel them straight away.
You can use either. Milk will give a lighter result while using heavy cream will make your potatoes extra indulgent and flavourful.
To thicken mashed potatoes you can reduce the water down before you start to mash them. It becomes a bit more tricky to thicken potatoes once they’ve been mashed as runny potatoes are usually a result of too much water. Alternatively, you can add a bit of flour or corn starch to absorb some of the water and thicken your potatoes, once added simmer for a few minutes to cook the starches.
If you’re going for a more rustic mash, then you don’t have to peel your potatoes and you can roughly mash them to add to the overall effect. But if you’re after a luxury mashed potato then we’d recommend peeling them before boiling.
This one is easy, just add a bit of milk or even water. Be careful not to add too much as you’ll end up with runny potatoes. Just a dash at a time will be enough to slowly build up the moisture content until the mash is creamy and velvety.
