How To Upgrade Your Mashed Potatoes, According To Cooking With Lynja - Exclusive
According to the Farmers' Almanac, approximately 120 pounds of potatoes are eaten by the average American each year. That's a lot of potatoes being consumed, even though it is presumably cooked in various forms: baked, roasted, mashed, and cut into french fries, just to name a few. We are a bit partial to mashed potatoes, for obvious reasons, and as it turns out — so is Cooking with Lynja.
In an exclusive interview with Mashed, the social media food star, whose real name is Lynn Yamada Davis, opened up about her upcoming attendance at FoodieCon and gave us her best potato-related tips. Earlier this year, Davis posted a mashed potato recipe that her 15 million followers had some thoughts on. The only qualm that TikTok had about the recipe was that her video saw her using a fork (and a baseball bat) instead of a potato masher — but to each their own! Unconventional potato-mashing items aside, Davis recommends adding a few extra ingredients for a creamier texture.
Use equal parts cream cheese and sour cream
Lynn Davis' go-to additions for her mashed potatoes include some sour cream, cream cheese, and chives. "A lot of people put sour cream on top of mashed potatoes, but if you put the cream cheese and the sour cream [mixed in], it makes it ultra-creamy, and that's a nice mashed potato," she told Mashed. Davis explained that she only uses a "quarter of a cup of each," but of course, the exact measurements depend on how many potatoes you plan on mashing, so make sure to account for the correct amount of ingredients in your recipe.
Besides sour cream and cream cheese, other fun food additives can spice up your mashed potatoes with extra flavor. Sautéed or roasted veggies are a fun mix-in if you are looking for some extra greens in your diet. You could approach your side dish Gordon Ramsay style and opt for young garlic with small cloves and fresh chives that don't overpower the potatoes' taste — Davis herself often opts for chives. And if you're looking for a side dish beyond mashed potatoes, Davis has you covered there, too — she offers a variety of recipes on her TikTok page, from chicken gumbo to classic garlic bread, because everyone needs some dinner inspiration now and again.
You can learn more about the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which commences on February 23, on its website. Make sure to keep up with Cooking with Lynja on her TikTok page.