These dreamy, creamy Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes are truly the best ever. Yukon Gold potatoes are mashed with garlic herb butter and a tub of mascarpone cheese to create restaurant-quality mashed potatoes. If you usually make your mashed potatoes with cream cheese or sour cream, replace the dairy with mascarpone for an even richer and creamier mash!
Table of contents
Ditch the Cream Cheese and Use Mascarpone in Your Mashed Potatoes!
If you love classic mashed potatoes, bid them goodbye forever — because once you take one bite of these mascarpone mashed potatoes, you’ll never go back to the milk-and-butter kind again!
Swapping in mascarpone (i.e. “Italian cream cheese”) for the butter, sour cream, or cream cheese you normally add to your mashed potatoes makes for a richer mouthfeel and a (much) creamier texture. Simply put, these are just the better batch of mashed potatoes!
Their silky smooth texture and herby flavor make these mascarpone mashed potatoes the perfect side dish for spatchcock turkey and bourbon glazed ham around the holidays, or family favorites like beef stew and cider pork chops on busy weeknights.
The 6 Main Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potatoes. We’re Team Yukon Gold in this household. They have a rich and buttery texture that translates to perfectly dense and creamy mashed potatoes. This is a very forgiving potato variety that won’t turn gluey or gloppy on you.
- Butter. I prefer using salted butter to ensure my mashed potatoes are perfectly seasoned.
- Fresh herbs. I used a blend of fresh parsley, sage, and thyme but you can use what you have on hand. I don’t recommend using dried herbs, which are much more potent in flavor than fresh.
- Garlic. Just 2 cloves flavors the mashed potatoes without overwhelming the delicate flavors of the fresh herbs.
- Heavy cream. Makes for the richest mashed potatoes you’ll ever eat.
- Mascarpone. The high fat content of this soft Italian cheese gives the mashed potatoes a silky smooth and creamy texture without any of the tanginess that cream cheese adds.
Useful Kitchen Tools
- Hand mixer. My tool of choice for whipping up a fluffy batch of mashed potatoes. You have to be careful not to overmix the potatoes when mashing them with a hand mixer, but the work flies by and you can make a really big batch of mashed potatoes in mere minutes.
- Potato ricer. This is what I recommend using if you prefer perfectly smooth and fluffy mashed potatoes. Just note that you can only press one or two potatoes at a time, which makes for a messier and longer process.
- Hand masher. Great if you love rustic mashed potatoes with a few lumps and bumps in them.
- Sharp knife. Always cut the potatoes to reduce their cook time.
- Cutting board. I’ve linked my favorite.
- 4 qt pot or dutch oven. We’ll be boiling 3 pounds of potatoes, so a large pot is needed.
How to Make Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes
- Peel and chop the potatoes. Sometimes I’ll leave the skins on my Yukon Golds, but I prefer peeling them for this particular recipe. When cutting the potatoes, make sure to cut them into even-sized pieces so they boil at an even rate.
- Boil in salted water. This seasons them from the inside out and will prevent your mashed potatoes from tasting bland (the worst!).
- Flavor the butter and cream. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add in the smashed garlic cloves and chopped fresh herbs. Stir in the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer before removing from the heat. The garlic needs to sit in the cream for about 10 minutes to infuse it with flavor.
- Mash the potatoes. After draining the potatoes, return them to the pot and pour in the cream mixture. Mash using your tool of choice (I always use a hand mixer) before adding in the mascarpone and mashing again.
Jenny’s Tips for Preventing Gluey Mashed Potatoes
Mash the potatoes while they’re still hot. If you try to mash them after they’ve cooled down, they’ll turn out stiffer and more gluey.
Warm the butter and cream. Adding fridge cold dairy products to the hot potatoes will shock them and cause them to seize up. Warming the butter and cream in a saucepan prior to pouring over the potatoes will make for the smoothest, creamiest mashed potatoes.
Bring the mascarpone to room temperature. Mascarpone can be a bit fiddly, as it tends to separate and become grainy if overmixed or combined with ingredients that are hotter or colder than it. Set the mascarpone out on the counter 10 to 15 minutes before you start this recipe so it has time to come to room temperature before being mashed with the hot potatoes.
What to Serve with Your Mashed Potatoes
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Unique Mashed Potato Recipes
- Caramelized Onion and Bacon Mashed Potatoes
- Sour Cream and Onion Mashed Potatoes
- Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Creme Fraiche Mashed Potatoes
This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
Herby Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz mascarpone, room temperature
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- Prep and cook the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Place them in a 4 qt pot and cover them with cold water. Season the water liberally with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and boil the potatoes until they’re very tender and easily pierced with a fork.
- Make the garlic herb butter. While the potatoes cook, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the smashed garlic cloves and chopped herbs and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the cream and bring to a very gentle simmer. Turn off the heat and let the cream steep for 10 minutes, then discard the garlic cloves.
- Mash the potatoes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot they were cooked in. Lightly mash the potatoes, then add the warmed cream and butter mixture. Continue to mash the potatoes and add the mascarpone. Mash to your desired consistency, then season the mashed potatoes to taste with salt and pepper and serve right away.
Nutrition
You might also like...
-
Sides Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin
-
Gluten Free Caramelized Onion Potatoes au Gratin
-
Sides Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Rate & Review This Recipe
Our family LOVED these potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner! My father in law was practically licking the bowl!
The ultimate compliment!