Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
These creamy Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes are an earthy and tangy twist on a classic, without being overpowering. They’re the perfect pairing for prime rib, lamb, ham or even turkey!
Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy from scratch (or even bacon gravy)? In my house, they’re not just for holidays (although we surely have them then, too, and a potato cake or my leftover mashed potatoes recipe the next day).
Mashed potatoes are the first thing I want when I feel under the weather, or when it’s cold and gloomy outside.
And if I’m serving a juicy flat iron steak on grill, the meal isn’t complete without homemade mashed potatoes with heavy cream (and maybe some Dr. Pepper baked beans, too).
I just really enjoy the process of making mashed potatoes, and experimenting with them by adding unique ingredients and flavorings. These Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes are the ones I’m currently digging the most.
They’re the perfect accompaniment to prime rib, ham, or lamb lollipops, or turkey (and no gravy is really needed). You could even put them on top of mini shepherd’s pies!
The ingredients for these blue cheese mashed potatoes are easy to find at the grocery store:
- potatoes – In my opinion, you can’t beat classic russet potatoes for mashed potatoes! More on this below. Save the baby potatoes for mini Hasselback potatoes.
- butter – I use unsalted butter for my blue cheese mashed potatoes, but if you have salted butter on hand, you can go ahead and use that and just cut back on the added salt for seasoning the dish.
- milk and half and half – I typically use a combination of whole milk and half and half for my mashed potatoes, but the dairy for this dish is flexible. You could use all one or the other, use a lower fat milk, or even use a bit of heavy cream for an extra decadent dish.
- blue cheese – you’ll need 2 ounces of crumbled blue cheese. If you REALLY love blue cheese, feel free to add more. Or buy a big wedge and include some of it on breakfast charcuterie.
- salt – the one thing that separates good mashed potatoes from bad mashed potatoes is salt. Always salt.
- chives – I garnished my blue cheese potatoes (and my shrimp deviled eggs) with fresh chives, simply because I have them in my garden. Feel free to garnish with any herb of your choice, or omit altogether.
Tips for making these blue cheese potatoes easy and successful:
- I’ve made mashed potatoes with lots of different varieties of potatoes, but in my opinion, nothing beats the classic russet potato for mashed potatoes. They cook up super tender, and they have a high starch content, which means the final product once they’re mashed is super smooth and creamy. They’re also perfect for colcannon soup.
- Seasoning is THE most important part of making mashed potatoes. If you’re nervous about it, don’t worry. In fact, I have an entire tutorial about seasoning mashed potatoes! Check out my Culinary School Lesson: Super Seasoning for Your Spuds. It’s geared more towards “plain” mashed potatoes, so there are some seasonings that I don’t always use in these blue cheese mashed potatoes, but it’s good info to keep in your back pocket.
- For the blue cheese part of these mashed potatoes, I used a pre-crumbled blue cheese for convenience. I almost always have it in my fridge for last-minute additions to salads, pastas and my recipe for shrimp pizza.
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What is the difference between gorgonzola vs. blue cheese? Can I make gorgonzola mashed potatoes?
The difference between gorgonzola cheese and blue cheese is that gorgonzola is typically aged for longer than blue cheese.
Gorgonzola should have a stronger flavor compared to the blue. This is due to the longer aging process, which allows the mold to develop longer (yum!), overall giving it more flavor.
While I typically reach for blue cheese for mashed potatoes simply because it’s a little bit cheaper, if you have Gorgonzola on hand, you could use definitely make Gorgonzola mashed potatoes!
Can you freeze blue cheese?
You CAN, but whether or not you WANT to will be dependent on how you plan to use the cheese after thawing it again. The main issue here is that freezing and thawing blue cheese will cause its texture to change. It won’t be quite as creamy once it’s thawed, and may even be a little dry.
If you’ll simply be stirring the thawed blue cheese into a soup or these blue cheese potatoes, you should be able to do that without any worry.
However, I personally would not serve frozen and thawed blue cheese as part of a Halloween charcuterie board, on top of a salad, or in any recipe where the texture of the cheese would be prominent.
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Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- ⅓ cup half and half
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 4 tablespoons room temperature unsalted butter
- 2 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Chopped fresh chives for garnish
Instructions
- Place potatoes in large pot and add just enough cold water to cover. Heat to boiling over high heat and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender.
- Meanwhile, heat half and half and milk in small pot over medium-low heat until warm.
- When potatoes are tender, drain well and return to pot over low heat; mash with potato masher. Stir in butter, cheese, salt and warmed half and half and milk.
- Transfer to serving bowl and serve garnished with chives.
Notes
- While I typically reach for blue cheese for mashed potatoes simply because it’s a little bit cheaper, if you have Gorgonzola on hand, you could use definitely make Gorgonzola mashed potatoes!
I like the idea of putting cheese in mashed potatoes, but unfortunately neither of us likes blue cheese. I’m thinking that something like manchego would be good, too, for those who aren’t fans of blue cheese. I checked out your seasoning spuds post and am grateful that you posted that. It’s amazing how old one can be and not know basics like that…
I think manchego mashed potatoes sound great!