These Gouda Mashed Potatoes are an easy, tasty way to upgrade your usual mashed Potatoes offering. Perfect for the Holidays!
Recently, I recreated our wedding dinner for a surprise.
I’d done it a few times before, just winging it around the base idea: Wild rice stuffed chicken breast with gouda mashed potatoes.
Well, technically, it was gorgonzola mashed potatoes at our wedding, but bleu cheese grosses me right out, so I adapted it for our home 🙂
Anyway, this time around I decided to actually write down what I’m doing. 15 years have gone by, probably time to do an actual recipe up for it all...
SO here we are with the mashed potatoes!
As someone obsessed with potatoes, I like to think that I make some pretty awesome mashed potatoes in general, but again - I usually wing it.
Cook up however many potatoes we have on hand, mash em up, and just chuck some fatty goodness in. Butter, sour cream, whatever - not paying attention to how much.
Toss it in, taste, adjust if it needs it - pretty flexible.
“Put some stuff in it until it tastes good” isn’t great recipe-writing, though!
There are two main ways I make this: super smooth, and textured. I’ll address both ways in this post, so let’s get to it.
How to Make REALLY Smooth Mashed Potatoes
Smooth mashed potatoes come down to two main things: potatoes used, and technique.
When I’m making the super smooth version of this recipe, I use either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes - usually the Yukon Gold.
These varieties of potatoes are known to be the best for making really smooth mashed potatoes.
Beyond that, there’s technique.
First of all, you’ll have to peel the potatoes, making sure there are no little bits of skin, eyes, etc left.
Then, you have to fully cook them until they’re soft all the way through. Slightly undercooked potatoes will taste fine and be safe, but they won’t mash down to perfectly smooth.
Then, there’s how you mash them.
A regular hand potato masher isn’t the best for making super smooth potatoes, IMHO.
I like to use my stand mixer!
While I’ll use the paddle attachment if making skin-on mashed potatoes, I’ll use the balloon / whisk attachment for making super smooth mashed potatoes.
Whip them like they’re egg whites - slow at first, then faster to really get them smooth, fluffy, and aerated!
Finally, there’s the matter of what you put in them - but I’ll get to that recipe in a bit!
Gouda Mashed Potato Variations
Peel-On Mashed Potatoes
Sometimes, we’re in the mood for a bit more flavour and texture... so we’ll leave the peels on.
When making peel-on mashed potatoes, we tend to use red potatoes, mostly for the look.
If making a small amount, I’ll just use a potato masher - as I did when photographing this batch - but if it’s a lot, I’ll use my stand mixer.
As I mentioned, I’ll use the paddle attachment rather than the whisk one, when making skin-on mashed potatoes.
This is because the skins can get caught up in the whisk, rather than nicely distributed. It gets annoying!
Swap The Cheese!
You can swap out for almost any kind of cheese you like.
Smoked gouda - actually smoked, not “smoke flavoured” - is an amazing upgrade.
Cheddar - especially sharp / old / aged cheddar - is fantastic. It’s like eating a bowl of perogie filling! (Have you tried my Grandma’s Perogie Recipe? SO good!)
If you’re wanting to use a really briny or stinky cheese - Feta or Gorgonzola, for instance - you might want to start out with a smaller amount than called for, and adjust to taste.
I’d start with less than half, personally.
Just keep in mind: Add your cheese BEFORE you add any salt, and be sure you’re happy with the amount of cheese before you add your salt and pepper!
Seasonings
I usually default to very simple - just salt and pepper.
However, you can add other flavours to this, if desired. A few ideas:
- Bacon fat. Especially if you’re topping this with bacon, you can swap some bacon fat for some of the butter.
- Roasted Garlic. Toss a head or two (or more!) of freshly roasted garlic in there!
- Sliced Green Onions. Simple but nice!
- Fresh or dried herbs. Parsley, sage, a little thyme or rosemary... whatever you like!
- Smoked paprika. When using smoked gouda, a little bit of smoked paprika works really nicely!
Toppings
If you’re not going to be drowning your potatoes in gravy (hell, even if you are - I don’t judge!), you might want to consider topping it with something.
You can do this right in the main serving dish, or when serving. A few ideas:
- Sliced green onions.
- Caramelized onions are especially nice with gouda.
- Crispy bacon or pancetta crumbled on top.
- Add some more shredded cheese on top and stick it under the broiler for a few minutes!
How to Make Gouda Mashed Potatoes
Full recipe follows, but here's a pictorial overview:
Wash potatoes, peel if you’d like (we don’t), cut into 1" cubes and place in a medium-sized pot.
Cover potatoes with hot water, boil until tender (about 20 minutes).
Drain potatoes well, return to the pan. Make sure there’s no residual water - if there is, allow it to cook off over low heat for a few minutes.
Add butter, cheese, and sour cream to the pan, mash until everything is incorporated, cheese is melted, and the mashed potatoes are as smooth as you’d like it.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
More Holiday Recipes
Looking for more inspiration for your holiday spread? Whether Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any of the other holidays, here's a few ideas for you!
Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Brandied Apple Upside Down Cake
Chicken Based Potato Sausage Recipe - Potatiskorv
Cranberry Wine
Egg Nog Sticky Buns
Maple Bourbon Glazed Carrots
Mushroom Brie Turnovers
Noelles - Holiday Cookies
Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
Pumpkin Cheese Ball - Classier Version
Pumpkin Cheese Ball - Trashier Version
Pumpkin Mead
Pumpkin Spice Nanaimo Bars
Savoury Mushroom Chestnut Stuffing
Southern Comfort Glazed Ham
Southern Comfort Pecan Pie
Traditional Cranberry Mousse
Traditional Pumpkin Mousse
Share the Love!
Before you chow down, be sure to take some pics of your handiwork! If you post it to Bluesky, be sure to tag us - @CelebrationGen. We're also on Pinterest, so you can save all your favourite recipes to a board!
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Well, the published nonsense, anyway!
Gouda Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 2 lb Red Potatoes
- ⅔ cup Sour cream
- ¼ cup Butter
- 1 ⅓ cup Shredded Gouda Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Wash potatoes, peel if you’d like (we don’t), cut into 1" cubes and place in a medium sized pot.
- Cover potatoes with hot water, boil until tender (about 20 minutes).
- Drain potatoes well, return to the pan. Make sure there’s no residual water - if there is, allow it to cook off over low heat for a few minutes.
- Add butter and sour cream to the pan, mash until as smooth as you’d like it.
- Add cheese, continue mashing until melted and well incorporated/
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bev
Potatoes and cheese- great combination.