The Best Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes (+ 6 flavor combos that I’m loving)

Let’s talk about mashed potatoes, can we? I just love them so much. Sitting next to braised meats, or roasted poultry, filled with flavor combos that make us swoon. (And you have to see the new flavor combos listed at the end of this post that I have tried recently.)

Sour cream and chive might be my favorite version of mashed potatoes though. (Told you I had more chive ideas for you!) Given that it is the only seasonal produce I have access too (I am determined to find some fiddlehead ferns though), it makes sense they would be on the brain but seriously, I was craving these since the second I saw those chives sprouting up.

These are from a recipe posted on Food52, but I have often whipped up similar versions myself and I feel like if you taste them as you go, and just add more butter/salt/dairy you’re going to end up approximating delicious. But since I like you I figured I would pass along this exact recipe which is someone’s mother in law’s time-tested recipe. (When they promised to be the best they had ever tasted, I thought it was worth a try.) The big tip they offer was to make sure you add the cream cheese in first, while the potatoes are still hot, since the flavor gets distributed better. Then add the rest. (For the record, I used light dairy products. And this time I used a potato masher- the recipe calls for a hand blender so I used it last time, and I like it both ways. Hand blender makes it feel restaurant quality and the masher feels more homemade, so proceed to your liking.)

Ok, my last HUGE discovery about these is that I turned the leftovers into my favorite artichoke, leek and potato soup the next day. Mind blown. Did you know you could add mash potatoes at the end of a soup recipe? You can, and it is fantastic.

If you love mashed potatoes as much as I do, then here are a few other variations I have had recently that were swoon worthy. Just follow the sour cream & chive recipe and instead of the chives, sour cream and cream cheese add these:

1.//Lobster Mashed Potatoes with Truffle Butter or Truffle Olive Oil –

I just made these using truffle olive oil after we tried it in a restaurant and they were ridiculously good. Something about the combo of truffles and lobster just tastes like…money? Maybe. No seriously they are a match made in…Vegas? Ok I’ll stop.

2. Chorizo and Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

3. Pancetta and Parmesean

4. Carmelized Onion and Bacon

5. Leek and Gruyere

6. Cumin, Tumeric, and Garam Masala Mashed Potatoes (or follow this recipe for a complex & authentic Indian dish)

Ok, if that doesn’t start your mouth watering I don’t know what will. Happy Eating! xoxo Katie

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes (Printer version here):

adapted from Emily C. on Food52

Serves 8

5 lb.potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks (Monica always used red potatoes)
8 oz.cream cheese, cut into large pieces (at room temperature)
1 cup sour cream (at room temperature)
4 T.butter (at room temperature)
Kosher salt + freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup finely chopped chives

In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold water and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and either return to the same pan, or place in a large bowl for combining with other ingredients.
While potatoes are still hot, start mixing in the remaining ingredients using a hand mixer with beater attachments. Add the cream cheese first (a few pieces at a time) and mix until thoroughly combined. It’s important to start with the cream cheese because it’s the ingredient that benefits the most from the hot potatoes when mixing. Next, add the sour cream, then the butter, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Continue mixing until the potatoes are smooth, creamy, and lump-free. You may want to stop a few times and clean the sides and bottom of your mixing bowl with a spatula. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
A few notes: I like to add the cream cheese, sour cream, and butter at room temperature to make the mixing easier, but Monica always used them straight from the fridge. If you want, you can start with lesser (say 3/4) amounts of the cream cheese, sour cream and butter and then tinker with the quantities to taste at the end, but 9 out of 10 times I’ve done this, I’ve ended up adding the full amounts. Trust me, these potatoes are worth the indulgence.
Mix in chives. Serve and savor every bite.

Recipe by Emily C. on Food52