Smoked Cheddar and Chive Mashed Potatoes

I believe there are two types of people on this planet- those firmly in the gravy and mashed potato camp and those in the no gravy camp.

I happen to be a no gravy kind of girl- I am actually a vegetarian and most gravy recipes call for unmentionables such as giblets – and making a separate vegetarian gravy… well. eh.

But I absolutely love mashed potatoes- in fact just pass me the entire bowl and step aside please. There is work to be done 🙂

Since I prefer no gravy, I take my mashed potatoes very seriously. They need to be flavorful, well seasoned, rich, creamy and super comforting. These mashed potatoes do not disappoint!

So this recipe for mashed potatoes is absolutely delicious and takes about 20 minutes to prepare. It is a fantastic way to transform mashed potatoes after Christmas and Thanksgiving or an easy side for Fried Chicken, Steak, Ham and so on.

Plus your house will smell absolutely heavenly from the smoked cheddar cheese- so a win all the way around.

This recipe makes 4 portions of potatoes or just double the recipe for super generous servings.

Smoked Cheddar and Chive Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

2 lbs of yukon potatoes, peeled and cubed
½ cup cream or milk (I used 2%)
2 tablespoons butter
Chives
Salt and Pepper
1 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese

Instructions

Place potatoes in a large pan of water and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium- high and cook about 15 minutes, until fork tender.
Remove from heat and drain water.
Place potatoes back in the pan and add butter and milk.
Mash to desired consistency and add cheese.
Stir well to incorporate and season with salt and pepper.
Top with chopped chives.

And a quick note on substitutions- you can choose from either smoked gouda or smoked cheddar. The smokey cheese just adds so much flavor to potatoes- I actually prefer the flavor of smoked gouda but I love the smell of smoked cheddar.

If I use smoked cheddar I add the chives, if I use gouda I tend to skip the chives.

And since it is almost impossible to get exactly 2 lbs of potatoes, I would suggest adding the milk in slowly so you don’t wind up with runny potatoes. This was a perfect amount for me but if you do find your potatoes are a little runny, spoon them into a casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350 for about 10-20 minutes and see if you find them firming up a bit. You might top with a little more cheese and I bet they would be heavenly.

If you decide to make these please come back and let me know what you think!

And here are a few other recipes you might enjoy: