Step Up Mashed Potatoes With Your Favorite Chip Dip

Many Americans enjoy mashed potatoes as a side dish. However, not all versions are the same, and some lovers of the creamy side will have varying opinions on how to make them. When it comes to making the signature spuds the best they can possibly be, one key ingredient is likely to do the trick: a packet of soup seasoning mix.

While some mashed potato purists prefer not to add anything outside of some butter, cream, salt, and pepper to the dish, adding a soup or dip mix like French onion or smoked garlic and green onion is the best way to enhance the flavor of the beloved side. Along with delicious toppings like bacon bits and cream cheese, these dip packets (many of which you can easily find at your local grocery store) contribute delicious flavors and spices to your mashed potatoes in a way that salt and pepper alone simply can't do. Even just sprinkling one packet of soup seasoning for every 4 to 5 lbs serving of mashed potatoes can go a long way in making the dish a smash hit at the dinner table.

Adding these dip mixes to your mashed potatoes works so well because of how smoothly they assimilate with the other ingredients involved in the creamy side dish. In many recipes, mashed potatoes call for a fair amount of sour cream to add varying levels of complexity. Furthermore, while we here at The Takeout love homemade smoked onion dip more than anyone, many of the most popular onion dips have come via the delicious union of sour cream and onion soup mix. When these two ingredients that work so well together are combined into your mashed potatoes, it should be no surprise that the results are absolutely delicious.

This also opens up an entire world of alternative options, as many dip mixes that use sour cream as a base make mashed potatoes even better. Things like vegetable soup mix or ranch seasoning mix can also positively impact your mashed potatoes, giving the classic dish a unique yet familiar taste. So, try changing up your typical mashed potato recipe using your favorite dip mix and see if it's worth the hype.