Cheesy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Perfect as a pair for a roast beef dinner, these Cheesy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes are creamy, fluffy, and cheesy! What’s beefs best friend? Potatoes of course! Potatoes get a major revamping in this recipe with the addition of a few things. First, russet potatoes are boiled to perfect doneness, alongside bay leaves, which penetrates a subtle earthy herbal flavor into the potatoes. Half & half cream is infused with fresh sprigs of thyme, and reduced down making it creamier and more flavorful. This infused cream is mashed into the cooked russets, alongside butter and horseradish. Sour cream is folded in to add a tangy punch to help cut some of the richness. And then, of course, comes the horseradish. Both prepared horseradish and Bothwell Horseradish Cheddar are whipped into the mashed potatoes, providing that distinctive spicy peppery flavor. The whipped potatoes are then baked with a crusting of even more cheese, creating a side dish that is flavorful, aromatic, and eye-pleasingly cheesy!
Inspiration
The inspiration for these Cheesy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes came after I was sent product vouchers for cheese by Bothwell Cheese. They had tons of varieties of cheese- from your basic but always good Medium Cheddar, to unique varieties such as Red Wine Cheddar and Black Truffle Monterey Jack. One of the cheese that especially caught my eye was the Horseradish Cheddar. Upon trying this cheese, I was in heaven! It had that peppery, slightly pungent taste of horseradish without the overwhelming nose-hair-burning heat of actual horseradish! That’s a win-win to me! The strong but creamy flavor of the cheddar nicely complimented and contrasted the horseradish flavor, resulting in a well-rounded but distinctive cheese!
How to Infuse Cream
While it may sound difficult and rather boujee, infusing the cream is actually easy. Start by adding the cream and a handful of fresh thyme to a small sauce pan. Place over medium heat and simple allow it to simmer, until it has reduced by half! Now, cream can be temperamental when heated, and has tendency to want to boil over. This problem can be fixed in a few ways. First, the temperature needs to be kept relatively low. If it seems like it keeps wanting to boil over, turn the stove down a bit. Second, it is crucial that it needs to be watched and stirred quite often. Yes, sadly there is no setting and forgetting with this one. Lastly, as an extra precaution against it completely boiling over while you had your back turned for 2 seconds (it’s happened to the best of us!), place a wooden spoon over top of the pot – this should keep it from exploding over your stove!
Russet Potatoes vs Yukon Gold
These horseradish mashed potatoes can easily be made with either russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes. I tend to use russets because they’re easily accessible year-round, as well they tend to cook faster than Yukon golds as well. However due to their starchy nature, Russet potatoes tend to absorb a lot of liquid and are more prone to falling apart to mush. Due to this, it is important that they are not cut into too small of pieces. I cut mine in half length-wise, then cut each half into 3-4 pieces. Then it is also important to be extra vigilant when boiling the potatoes as well. When you think the potatoes are on the verge of being done, keep checking them with a fork, and immediately drain them the moment they become fork-tender.
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 Russet Potatoes
- A handful of salt
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 cups Half & Half Cream
- 10-12 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1/3 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream
- 4 tsp Prepared Horseradish
- 1 Block Bothwell Horseradish Cheddar,, shredded & divided
- 1/2 cup Shredded White Aged Cheddar,, divided
- Salt & Pepper,, to taste
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan over medium heat add cream and fresh thyme. Allow to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until it has reduced by half. Ensure you stir frequently to ensure it does not boil over. When reduced strain the thyme out with a fine mesh strainer.
- Meanwhile, Place potato pieces and bay leaves into a large pot, and cover with enough water so that the water is 1 inch over the potatoes. Add enough salt to the water so that the water is similar to seawater. Place over medium-high heat and cook until potatoes are fork-tender.
- Preheat oven to 425°Drain potatoes with a colander, and discard the bay leaves. Using a potato ricer or a masher, mash the potatoes back into the empty pot. Add butter, infused cream, sour cream, horseradish, ½ of the Bothwell Horseradish Cheese, and ½ of the aged white cheddar to the pot, and mix well until completely combined (using a hand-mixer makes very easy work of this!). Season with salt and pepper, and place into a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese and place into the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.
Related Recipes
Looking for more potato recipes? Check out these below:
WARM POTATO SALAD. It features garlic roasted warm potatoes, corn, and bacon, in a zesty lemon dill parmesan dressing!
EASY GARLIC MASHED POTATOES. These creamy, fluffy mashed potatoes are super garlicky and easy to make! The recipe features a secret step to making garlic mashed potatoes without roasting the garlic!
CRISPY BAKED YAM FRIES WITH LEMON TRUFFLE AIOLI. These yam fries are healthy and delicious! Using a few techniques and ingredients they are baked up to crispy perfection.
These potatoes sound amazing! I love horseradish cheese 🙂
Thank you, Alyssa!