Claudia has been writing recipes online for many years. She enjoys coming up with unique and tasty dishes, especially sweet treats.

In recent years, mashed potatoes have been elevated from a simple side dish to the star of the show. These days you can find mashed potato bars at weddings, and there are restaurants whose offerings revolve around them.

Basically, a mashed potato bowl is a just what it sounds like: mashed potatoes with all sorts of items on top or mixed in.

It is not a new concept to many people, especially those of us who like to mix all of our food on the plate together. Since I can remember, one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is getting some mashed potatoes and mixing in some leftover turkey, stuffing, and gravy. Talk about comfort food.

So for those of you who love mashed potatoes as much as I do, and who want to come up with some new ways to eat them, here is the list for you.

You'll find all sorts of options that you've probably never thought of before, and if you eat something that didn't make the list, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section at the bottom.

Poll

Individual Mix-Ins

Comfort Food Combos

The average American eats about 124 pounds of potatoes per year while Germans eat about twice as much.

— idahopotatomuseum.com

African

Asian

British

Carribean

Eastern European

French

Marie Antoinette liked [potato] blossoms so much that she put them in her hair.

— smithsonianmag.com

German

Greek

Italian

Although estimates vary, it is believed as many as 1 million Irish men, women and children perished during the Famine, and another 1 million emigrated from the island to escape poverty and starvation, with many landing in various cities throughout North America and Great Britain.

— history.com

Latin

Mexican

Regional Tastes

What do you think about this recipe?

Cook Time

Ingredients

• 5 lbs red skinned potatoes, Peeled and quartered
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup butter, half a stick
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp garlic salt, more or less if desired
• 1/4 tsp pepper, more or less if desired

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water with potatoes in it to a boil, and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Strain the potatoes and put into a large bowl.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Don't add all of the milk at once, add about half and then mash. Check the consistency and add more milk if desired.
4. Serve immediately.

© 2019 Claudia Mitchell

Comments

Reformed Eve from USA on February 15, 2020:

These pictures made me so hungry! I need potatoes...stat! Thanks for the great article!

Claudia Mitchell (author) on December 08, 2019:

Thanks Glenn! They are definitely a main item in our house. I was at a wedding a couple of months ago and they had an entire mashed potato bar that was a huge hit.

Glenn Stok from Long Island, NY on December 07, 2019:

I always thought of mashed potatoes as a side dish, but you enlightened me Claudia. Now I know I can make something that works as the main entree. You gave me a lot of delicious options in this article that I look forward to trying.

Claudia Mitchell (author) on December 06, 2019:

Thanks Peggy. Spargel is one of my favorites and I don't often find it here. Glad you enjoyed the article.

Peggy Woods from Houston, Texas on December 06, 2019:

When I saw the white asparagus near the bottom of this article, it reminded me of my trip to Germany many years ago in the spring. Spargel (asparagus) was in season. One of the ways the white asparagus was served in a restaurant was with potato. You certainly came up with a great number of ideas for topping potatoes!

Claudia Mitchell (author) on December 06, 2019:

Thank you Jill. I agree that they are the best and they are also so easy to change up depending on what you combine them with. Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving.

Claudia Mitchell (author) on December 06, 2019:

Yum, I love potato skins with bbq pork. That sounds good. Thanks for reading!

Claudia Mitchell (author) on December 06, 2019:

Thanks Liz. I do love sausage and mash. I had it when I visited London. Restaurants around here are also featuring stepped up mashed potatoes.

Jill Spencer from United States on December 05, 2019:

As usual, an awesome hub. Mashed potatoes are the best!

Donna Herron from USA on December 05, 2019:

Great list, Claudia! We're planning to make potato skins this weekend and I will use some of your suggestions as toppings for them. Thanks for sharing!

Liz Westwood from UK on December 05, 2019:

Sausage and mash is now even featuring on the menus of some high end restaurant in the UK. Great ideas here for making a meal out of mashed potatoes.