7 Ways To Make Your Mashed Potatoes the Star of Thanksgiving Dinner

We had our annual Thanksgiving celebration at work today and everyone brought something to share, we had turkey, ham, corn bread, cranberry sauce, salads, breads, stuffing, green bean casserole, and you can't even imagine the desserts. I brought three of my favorite mashed potato variations and they were all a hit, except one, but more about that later.

My family loves mashed potatoes and a few years ago, I began making them with all kinds of ingredients, spices, and flavors. Admittedly, some should have never been attempted, but others have since become family favorites. With Thanksgiving a week away, I thought I'd share some of my favorite variations that could have your family and friends raving about your mashed potatoes.

Just some basics, I use red potatoes, I know others love Yukon gold, but these are my go-to potato. I also don't peel them before I mash them, the nutrients are in the skin after all, but this may not work for your family, so peel away if you want to.

Typically, I use 9-11 potatoes (depending on the size) and cook them in my pressure cooker, but boiling works just as well. I don't use an electric mixer, although there's nothing wrong with using one, I use my Grandma's hand masher. I have a lot of fond memories of watching her make mashed potatoes with it and I feel a connection with her every time I use it.

1. Butter, Butter, Cream, Cream Mashed Potatoes: The title says it all. There's a whole stick of butter and half heavy cream and half whole milk to make them creamy and decadent. Salt and pepper to taste.

2. Cheesy mashed potatoes: Adding shredded cheddar is a great way to liven up mashed potatoes, but my favorite is to add half-stick of butter, milk, and a mix of shredded Asiago and Parmesan cheeses. I don't skimp on the cheese, probably a little over 8 ounces.

3. Bleu Mashed Potatoes: Instead of using milk to make the potatoes creamy, I use butter and sour cream, adding the crumbled bleu cheese in after they've been mashed to a creamy consistency. Don't do what I did last night and use too much sour cream. It will make your potatoes runny, and while they will taste good,they won't look appetizing. Trust me, that's what happened today. Add a little at a time, and they'll be great.

4. Roasted garlic Mashed Potatoes: You can roast your own garlic, or buy it already roasted, but I would smash them a bit and warm them up before adding them. You could use either milk or sour cream when blending but the sour cream adds a nice taste along with the garlic. You may not need to use as much butter as the garlic was cooked in oil, you don't want greasy mashed potatoes.

5. Chive and Roasted Pepper Mashed Potatoes: As with above variety, you can roast your own peppers or buy them already roasted for you, just keep in mind that they have oil on them, so adjust the butter to avoid greasy potatoes. I use heavy cream with this one and add the chives in before I mash them, it spreads that wonderful flavor throughout the dish. I stir the chopped peppers in at the end, so they stay in pieces and don't become mush.

6. Bacon and Horseradish Mashed Potatoes: Need I say more. I use really crispy bacon, because if it isn't, it doesn't work well in the dish.  One word of caution on these though, depending on how much heat your friends and family can handle, be careful with the amount of horseradish you add. You can 'cheat' a little by adding a horseradish mayo to the dish, just cut back on the amount of milk or cream to compensate. You can actually do this with a lot of flavored mayos, and create your own favorites.

7. Mashed Potato and Stuffing 'Muffins': I make my butter and cream potatoes but I make them a little thicker than normal, then my stuffing. I gently stir stuffing into the potatoes, you don't want to incorporate it fully, only mix one or two minutes at most. Next, scoop this mixture into greased muffin tins, bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes to set-up. Pop out and serve with your favorite gravy.

These certainly aren't the only variations you could use to make amazing mashed potatoes, these are just a few of my family's favorites. What are your secrets to amazing mashed potatoes? Maybe you'll share them with us, we promise we won't tell!