Take Mashed Potatoes From Side Dish To Star Of The Show By Adding One Italian Sauce

Mashed potatoes are something of a side dish workhorse, pairing beautifully with everything from sticky barbecued chicken to poached salmon dressed in lemon and capers. Plus, if you don't have time to make them from scratch, it's easy to upgrade store-bought mashed potatoes with a few household ingredients, taking them into convenience food territory. They're also delicious draped in savory brown gravy, dotted with butter, or simply seasoned with salt and pepper. However, if you want to put this side dish in the limelight, there are few better ways to do it than with a dollop or two of pesto.

Though roasted garlic is a popular one-ingredient mashed potato upgrade, blitzing it together with basil, lemon, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and pine nuts adds a bountiful helping of complex flavor without sacrificing the creamy comfort smashed spuds are known for. The warm starches in the mashed potatoes absorb the olive oil in the pesto, and since fat carries flavor molecules and intensifies our ability to taste them, this combo creates a beautifully aromatic, zesty nuttiness that melds perfectly with the potatoes' mild, earthy deliciousness.

The olive oil and cheese bring beautiful fat, while the lemon and basil add brightness, all of which is gently tempered and bloomed by the pine nuts. This mashed potato upgrade is also ridiculously simple, especially if you choose a high-quality store-bought pesto. Then you can simply fold a few tablespoons of this zesty sauce into your prepared potatoes just before serving.

Depending on how much time and energy you have, there are a handful of ways to make pesto mashed potatoes, and all of them are delicious with the right amount of TLC. Making both your pesto and mash from scratch is the most time-consuming method, but also the most impressive if you're experienced at getting both to the perfect texture. As mentioned, the jarred stuff is also perfectly fine, especially since there are a few ways to jazz up store-bought pesto to make it taste homemade.

If you're going the store-bought route with both your pesto and mash, real mashed potatoes from the refrigerated section of the grocery store are better than instant. Instant usually has a looser texture that may become greasy with the addition of pesto. In real potatoes, pesto creates a velvety, flavorful bite, especially when combined with other Mediterranean ingredients. For instance, lemony roasted artichoke hearts are amazing in potatoes, and pair perfectly with the flavor profile in pesto. A tiny touch of olive tapenade can also make this winter classic taste almost summery.

Pesto mash can go with almost anything, but it's particularly delicious with seafood and roasted vegetables. Think citrus asparagus and flaky fried cod, or hearty tuna steaks drizzled with a buttery white wine sauce served with a mix of grilled zucchini, eggplant, and bell peppers. Bonus points if the lightly charred veggies are served draped over the potatoes.