These cheddar mashed potatoes are fluffy, cheesy and so flavorful. They are made with brown butter, sharp cheddar cheese, and are seasoned with sour cream, garlic, and rosemary. This amazing side dish will go well with many main dishes.
We also love these sour cream mashed potatoes or cream cheese mashed potatoes!
Recipe ingredients and substitutions
Here’s what you need to make cheddar mashed potatoes:
Potatoes: the best potatoes for mashed potatoes are starchy/mealy potatoes (like Russets, Idaho) – they are high in starch and low in moisture, they don’t hold their shape very well but are great for mashing and boiling.
Do you have to peel the potatoes? No, the potato peel is edible but sometimes can be tough to chew, so it’s up to your preferences. I prefer to peel my potatoes.
Butter: adds richness and makes these potatoes creamy.
Milk – makes the mashed potatoes more creamy. Adding hot milk makes the potatoes more fluffy.
Do you have to put milk in mashed potatoes? No, you can also add vegetable/chicken broth instead. You can also add cream instead of milk, but then use less butter. You can also add plant-based milk if this is what you have on hand.
Sour cream: Why put sour cream in mashed potatoes? It makes them creamy and also adds an amazing, slightly sour flavor. They taste rich and creamy without being too heavy (the tangy flavor of the sour cream cuts through the richness of the potatoes and butter).
How to substitute sour cream in mashed potatoes?
- Creme fraiche is a great substitute.
- Try Greek yogurt with a little bit of lemon juice!
- Buttermilk (but add less milk or the potatoes will be too thin)
Rosemary – needs to be fresh or omit it. You can add some fresh chopped thyme or parsley instead (if using parsley, add it fresh and do not cook it in butter).
Cheddar – you can use white mild or sharp cheddar for this recipe but sharp cheddar is my preference. Instead of cheddar cheese, Gruyere cheese or smoked Gouda cheese would also be great.
Garlic – I tested three types of garlic: fresh garlic sauteed in butter, garlic powder, and roasted garlic. All these types of garlic will work very well with this recipe. The difference in flavor was not significant.
- Fresh garlic is most flavorful and “garlicky” but my mashed potatoes with fresh garlic had a weird taste the next day so I would recommend using fresh garlic only if you know you won’t have any leftovers. If using fresh garlic: chop it finely and cook for 30 seconds with butter and rosemary. You will need 2 fresh garlic cloves for this recipe.
- Roasted garlic has a milder and more complex taste but I wouldn’t turn my oven just to roast 2 cloves of garlic for mashed potatoes. Use roasted garlic only if you’re preparing another dish in your oven and you can roast the garlic with it. Here you’ll find instructions on how to roast garlic and how to smoke garlic. You’ll need 3 roasted garlic cloves for this recipe.
- Garlic powder is flavorful and easy to use so this is what I opted for.
Step by step instructions
STEP 1: Peel the potatoes and cut them into equal pieces. Add the potatoes into a large pot, pour over cold water, salt the water. Cook the potatoes until fork-tender.
How long to boil potatoes?
I cut my potatoes into 1 1/2-inch (4cm) chunks and cook them for about 10-15 minutes. Check with a fork if they are ready – they should be soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork.
Mash the potatoes while still hot. Do not mash them for too long or they will be gummy.
How to mash potatoes:
- You can use a potato masher or potato ricer.
- Use an electric potato masher.
- You can mash them using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
A potato ricer is my preference – it makes the fluffiest mashed potatoes!
STEP 2: Finely chop rosemary needles, add with the butter into a small pot. Cook for a couple of minutes until the butter is browned – it will smell nutty and have a light brown color.
STEP 3: Add all the other ingredients to the bowl with mashed potatoes: browned butter with rosemary, hot milk, sour cream, garlic powder, and shredded cheddar cheese (on the large holes of a box grater).
STEP 4: Stir until all the ingredients are well-combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
Storage
Store these mashed potatoes in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Mashed potatoes taste best freshly made but they can be made ahead and reheated.
How to reheat mashed potatoes: add some milk to the potatoes (they will thicken a bit when cold), transfer them to a baking dish, cover with butter slices and bake at 320°F/160°C for about 10-15 minutes or until warm.
Serving suggestions
- Mushroom stuffed chicken breast
- Baked turkey tenderloin
- Roasted turkey leg
- Mayo parmesan chicken
- Roast chicken, roast duck, or roast goose
- Breaded chicken cutlets
- Chicken fritters 3 ways (cheesy, Italian and curried)
- Baked chicken with apples and onions
- Turkey roulade with butternut squash, mushroom and cranberry stuffing
- Lemon Thyme Chicken Breast – baked in the oven
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Cheddar mashed potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes 1 kg
- 3 tablespoons butter 45g
- 1 large twig rosemary
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar 100g
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into equal pieces. Add the potatoes into a large pot, pour over cold water, salt the water. Cook the potatoes until fork-tender.
- Mash the potatoes while still hot (do not mash them for too long).
- Finely chop rosemary needles, add with the butter into a small pot. Cook for a couple of minutes until the butter is browned – it will smell nutty and have a light brown color.
- Add all the other ingredients to the bowl with mashed potatoes: browned butter with rosemary, hot milk, sour cream, garlic powder, and shredded cheddar cheese (on the large holes of a box grater).
- Stir until all the ingredients are well-combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Ingredients notes:
- The best potatoes for mashed potatoes and starchy potatoes like Russets or Idaho potatoes.
- Instead of milk, you can add heavy cream or chicken broth.
- Instead of sour cream, you can add creme fresh or buttermilk (but add less milk so the potatoes are not too runny).
- Instead of rosemary, you can use thyme.
- Instead of cheddar cheese, you can use Gruyere cheese.
- Instead of garlic powder, you can use fresh garlic or roasted garlic. If using fresh garlic: chop it finely and cook for 30 seconds with butter and rosemary. You will need 2 fresh garlic cloves for this recipe. Leftovers don’t taste that good with fresh garlic, that’s why I used garlic powder. If you have roasted garlic on hand, you can add 3 roasted cloves of garlic to these potatoes.
- How long to boil potatoes? I cut my potatoes into 1 1/2-inch (4cm) chunks and cook them for about 10-15 minutes. Check with a fork if they are ready – they should be soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork.
- Storage: Store these mashed potatoes in the fridge for up to 3 days. Mashed potatoes taste best freshly made but they can be made ahead and reheated. How to reheat mashed potatoes: add some milk to the potatoes (they will thicken a bit when cold), transfer them to a baking dish, cover with butter slices and bake at 320°F/160°C for about 10-15 minutes or until warm.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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