Cream cheese isn’t just a wonderful addition to russets or Yukon golds, but also it’s rather an equally delicious flavor and texture enhancement to sweet potatoes, butternut squash, parsnip, or cauliflower mashes. Cream cheese provides a tangy and cheesy flavor that you can enhance with a wide range of spices, herbs, and aromatics. Fresh cracked pepper and salt are par for the course, but you can add a spicy kick with garlic powder, cayenne pepper, or smoked paprika.
Rosemary, roasted garlic, and parmesan cheese will amp up the earthiness of the potatoes while adding a caramelized sweetness and salty complement to tangy cream cheese. With the wealth of flavored cream cheese varieties for sale, you don’t have to worry about buying and prepping herbs and aromatics. Opt for flavors like garlic and herbs, chive and onion, jalapeño, and even pineapple cream cheese for a mashed sweet potato casserole.
If you want even creamier mashed potatoes, you can swap milk for cream or half and half. Before adding your dairy, mash drained and boiled potatoes on the stove over low heat to ensure that all the residual water from boiling them evaporates. By removing as much water as possible from the potatoes, they’ll be more receptive to the flavoring and texture-enhancing powers of your dairy ingredients.
