Mashed potatoes — a festive side dish for the ages that is also surprisingly difficult to nail. Despite its place as a consistent fan-favorite on the Thanksgiving table, mashed potatoes can…vary in quality. Whether it’s a lack of salt (or too much salt!), soupy, baby-food-texture ‘taters or sticky, dry spuds, sometimes it feels like making a great mashed potato requires too much trial and error.
What is Mexican Crema?
Mexican crema, also referred to as crema fresca, is made from a mixture of high-fat heavy cream and buttermilk. It has a similar tang to sour cream but a higher fat content, salty taste, and a thinner, more liquid consistency — making it a pliable, pourable ingredient that doesn’t curdle easily. Crema is commonly used as a topping for foods like Chicken Flautas, Steak Tacos , and Enchiladas Suizas.
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How to Incorporate Mexican Crema into Your Mashed Potatoes
Brit doesn’t include a formal mashed potato recipe in her technique video, but she does outline the basics of potato preparation — here’s how she makes a mashed potato using Mexican crema:
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Prepare potatoes: Peel and chop your potatoes of choice into small chunks. I used Yukon Gold, a popular mashed potato base with a buttery flavor profile. For the purpose of this review, I used 3 medium-sized potatoes to adhere as closely as I could to Brit’s 2 large potatoes.
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Boil potatoes: Fill a stockpot about halfway with water. Add potato chunks and bring water to a boil. When your water comes to a rolling boil, add salt and chicken bouillon (I used one bouillon cube) into the mix and cook until your potato chunks can be easily pierced with a fork. Drain potatoes, return to stockpot, and set aside.
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Melt butter and milk: Melt one stick of unsalted butter in a saucepan. Brit recommends adding “a little bit” of milk — I ended up adding about ¼ of a cup. Mix to combine until milk is heated through but does not curdle.
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Add butter/milk mixture to potatoes: Pour about half of your butter/milk mixture into the stockpot with your boiled potatoes.
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Mash potatoes: Using a potato masher or a large fork, mash your potatoes until they reach your personal desired consistency. Take breaks to add additional butter/milk mixture if needed.
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Fold in crema: Add approximately ⅓ cup of crema (I used the Tropical brand) and mix thoroughly into potatoes. Add more crema, salt, and black pepper to taste. Top with more pepper and a few chopped chives, and enjoy!
My Review
Not only did adding Mexican crema add a subtle, tangy kick to my potatoes, it also helped smooth the consistency of my mashed mix without thinning them too much. I have previously tried adding sour cream to my mashed potatoes and found that crema’s higher fat content makes for a better emulsifier with a very similar flavor profile. I’ll be using this dairy aisle staple in my mashed potatoes from now on!
More Mashed Potato Tips:
How to Make the Perfect Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes
Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
We Tried 6 Methods for Mashed Potatoes and Found a Clear Winner
How to Make Mashed Potatoes for Just Two People
