French Onion Mashed Potatoes
Servings: 8 servings
French Onion Mashed Potatoes are not intended for anyone counting calories or following a weight-loss plan. The caramelized onions are fried in a savoury beef broth and folded into mashed potatoes prepared with cheese, cream, and butter. Save this recipe for a holiday dinner when indulgence is permitted and expected!
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Ingredients
To Prepare the Caramelized Onions:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
For the Remainder of the Recipe:
- 3 pounds white flesh potatoes, peeled cut into one inch cubes
- 1/4 cup softened butter, plus more for garnish - optional
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (plus more for garnish)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Transfer the sliced onions to a large skillet with the olive oil and butter. Over medium-low heat, cook the onions slowly, stirring often for 20 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup of the beef broth and stir into the onions. Continue to cook for 10 minutes. Repeat this step every 10 minutes until the beef broth has been used up.
- Add the thyme leaves and Worcestershire Sauce. Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook the onions for 5-10 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- While the onions are cooking, peel the potatoes and chop them in one inch cubes. This will not only speed up the cooking time, but will also make mashing more manageable. Rinse the potatoes under cold running water to wash away the excess starch and transfer them to a pot. Add enough cold water so the potatoes are covered by one inch of water.
- Over high heat, bring the potatoes to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt to the pot – about a half a teaspoon – and stir. Lower the heat to medium-high and continue to cook the potatoes until they are fork tender – about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain well.
- Transfer the potatoes back to the pot. Mash them using your favourite mashing technique. That could be with a hand-held masher or a potato ricer. I always use a hand mixer to mash potatoes; try it – they are always light and fluffy. Once the potatoes are mashed, add the butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, parsley, salt, and ground black pepper. Use your hand mixer to combine or stir well with a wooden spoon.
- Next, transfer all of the caramelized onions to the pot of mashed potatoes and use a rubber spatula to fold the onions in. Do this gently as to not break the onions up too much.
- At this point, the mashed potatoes are ready to serve. You can serve them onto individual plates or you can transfer them to a serving bowl and top them with extra melted butterand fresh parsley for garnish. To keep the potatoes warm, leave them in the pot and cover with a lid. Keep the potatoes on a burner of the lowest heat setting. Stir regularly to avoid burning the potatoes or drying them out.