There's no questioning that fact that everyone has their own preference of how they like their mashed potatoes prepared. Some people like them prepared in the slow cooker, some use a hand mixer to mash, while others like to do it the old-fashioned way and can be found mashing their potatoes by hand. Some people even use a ricer to achieve perfect creaminess. And it doesn't stop there. While it's pretty standard to add milk and butter (and sometimes cream cheese and heavy cream) to your taters to make them soft, some folks use an ingredient that made me gasp the first time I heard about it. Yes, there are people who use mayo in mashed potatoes.
I was talking to a co-worker the other day about weird food and the topic of adding mayonnaise to make creamy mashed potatoes came up. I was simply aghast when she shared how unusual it was that I didn't add mayo to the side dish.
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made to add mayo to mashed potato recipes. Not only is it a fat (which adds creaminess), mayo is also dairy-free, making it a yummy option for vegans.
Mashed Potatoes with Mayonnaise is a Southern Thing
Peel your potatoes (we prefer Yukon gold potatoes over russet potatoes), chop them up and add them to a large pot filled with cold water. Bring it to a boil and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. Remove from the water, drain, and mash using your preferred method. I like to use a potato masher for my spuds. Once mashed, add in mayonnaise (Duke's mayonnaise is a great option for this secret ingredient mashed potato recipe) to taste as well as salt and black pepper. You can also add milk if needed.
One bite and you'll be adding mayo to your mashed potatoes for the rest of your life.
