When you think about Thanksgiving, you probably think turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and of course, an all-time favorite — mashed potatoes. There are so many recipes for mashed potatoes you could spend an entire day Googling and then just as long trying to decide which one to make.
One TikToker has shared her trade secret for making the best mashed potatoes, which could be a game changer. We honestly can't believe we didn't think of it before. It's a no-brainer.
First, she tells us to prepare the potatoes.
Skin on or skin off? It's a debate, with both sides making compelling arguments. Comedian Jourdyn Parks, @jeaux_king, prefers hers with the skin on. Parks scrubs her potatoes down and rubs them with avocado oil. Of course, you can peel them too, whatever floats your boat. She says we might want to cut them in half before adding them to our boiling water.
Pretty typical so far, right?
There is a secret ingredient in Parks' potatoes, though.
"Put them in, maybe a cup of water, you put chicken broth or beef stuck, depending on what you're going to serve your mashed potatoes with," she says.
Boom. Flavor town!
It sounds like an interesting twist that could be totally delicious. Parks says adding a pinch of Himalayan sea salt gives it some extra flavor. And then we should boil them as usual.
The extra zing from the broth is the key.
She says adding the stock and the salt will "lock in the flavor of your meat. When you do add like your adobo seasoning, your salt, your butter, your milk and all of that, it makes them a lot more creamy and they'll be fu–ing delicious."
Honestly, it totally makes sense and sounds pretty tasty.
TikTok was eager to give it a try.
"This make so much more sense than just water," one person wrote.
Some thought it gave them an excuse to mix up a dish. "THIS IS BRAND NEW INFORMATION AND I AM MAKING MASHED POTATOES THIS WEEK FOR SCIENCE!!!" another comment read.
"I'm learning to literally boil EVERYTHING in chicken broth soooooo much more flavor," someone recommended.
Apparently, this is not a new concept to our European friends.
"How do Americans not know this?! Irish folks have been doing this for centuries! You're late to the game, folks. ♀️Glad you educated folks," another person shared.
Some joked about the way that they prepare their potatoes. "I boil mine in beer and tequila. dinner is way funnier and the kids go to bed early," one person commented.
Others didn't think that it sounded very appealing.
Some TikTokers are happy to stick to the plain old boiling water method and skip the stock.
"Rich folk cooking. too bougie for me," someone wrote.
"Um no!!! Boil them in water!!!," another person suggested.
"nope nope nope lol always been salted water for me, I also don't eat meat so not a hope I would cook in chicken or beef stock (milk and Irish butter)," someone else wrote.
One person joked, "Are we really giving lessons on how to boil a potato ."
We think this is worth trying.
Even though some people gave it a hard pass, others planned to put a little stock in their potatoes the next time they make them. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is perfect timing to give our mashed potatoes a little extra kick.
Thanks, Jourdyn, for the tip. We are definitely going to give this a try.
