Poll: Do You Put Onions in Mashed Potatoes?

[arminnie]

I love onions - but I want my mashed potatoes to be smooth. No lumps please - not potato lumps or onion lumps.

As a child (50-60 years ago) my mother taught me that only lazy people had lumps in their mashed potatoes. I use a potato ricer - sure is easier than that potato masher.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Or are they referring to fried onions as a decorative topping?

Oooh, that sounds good! - Make the mashed potatoes, spread them in a baking dish, put shredded cheese and crispy fried onions on top, and pop into the oven for a bit to melt the cheese.

 

[tylerandalexsmom]

Ugh! No - I am allergic to onions, and I hate that restaurants put them in everything

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Who puts onions in mashed potatoes? Are you sure they didn't mistake it for garlic? Or are they referring to fried onions as a decorative topping? Onions in mashed potatoes is just wrong.

Do they mean green onions? Cuz that I have done. But, like anything else...noooooo. Maybe caramelized if I was feeling fancy...

Unfortunately, I can't answer these questions, because specific info wasn't given in the thread I saw. I asked the question here, because I'd never heard of putting onions in mashed potatoes. Based on this thread, it's clear the majority of people would prefer the cruise line not put onions in their mashed potatoes. I just found it odd that the one poster seemed to think the onion vs. no onion crowd was close to equal. That made me wonder, if I had been living under a rock all these years, when it comes to mashed potatoes.

I love onions - but I want my mashed potatoes to be smooth. No lumps please - not potato lumps or onion lumps.

As a child (50-60 years ago) my mother taught me that only lazy people had lumps in their mashed potatoes. I use a potato ricer - sure is easier than that potato masher.

My Mom used an electric mixer to get her mashed potatoes smooth. My FIL used a potato masher. My DH was firmly in the potato masher crowd, so he became our potato masher. I reserve the right to complain every time they're not perfect.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Maybe it's a texture thing? A PP mentioned she puts onion powder in. That sounded fine to me. It just flavors the mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes should be luscious, smooth, creamy, comforting goodness. I don't like finding chunky, slimy, shiny, chewy bits in it.

I am the same with garlicky mashed potatoes. I ate at some gourmet restaurant. I have a feeling this was one of the signature sides of the place. Only I didn't know it. The mashed potatoes were served automatically with the entree. They were overpoweringly garlicky. So, already not to my taste. (I just like my mashed potatoes with milk/cream, lots of butter, S&P. For baked potatoes, add some sour cream. Occasionally melted cheese.) But, when I found chunky bits of garlic in the mashed potatoes, I stopped eating it.

Pretty much every diner here calls them Home Fries. I've never heard of Potatoes O'Brien. I wonder if it's a regional thing?

Again, it might be a texture thing. All the ingredients are diced & remain chunky. Not wonderfully soft & creamy, then finding hidden bits of stuff in it.

I normally don't like my foods touching each other on a plate. And I will not eat peas that have been covered with mashed potatoes either.

I make cheesy, garlic mashed potatoes with some dishes, but I use garlic powder. I also like smooth mashed potatoes.

 

[Jennasis]

Onions in the mashed potatoes??? Like, who even are you??

 

[KevM]

My family makes Champ, which is an Irish dish. It’s mashed potatoes with chopped green onions.

 

[disykat]

To me (and obviously many others) the definition of mashed potatoes means smooth and the very few other ingredients used to make them creamy are the only additions. To me even garlic mashed potatoes should be labeled as such because they don't fit the "norm" people expect. I put onions in almost every other kind of potato dish, but NEVER in mashed potatoes.

 

[LovesTimone]

A little onion cooked and mashed in wouldn't be awful. Caramelized onions added to mashed potatoes sounds gross, but I'm not a big fan of onions.

I have a suggestion for this... if you make a roast, with potatoes, onions... Take the leftover potatoes and onions - make mashed potatoes just warm them up in a bit of butter, and some of the pan dripping, you only need to warm up as they are already cooked through.... and they are really good, you get the beef favor from the roast, in the potatoes, the onions add some zip in the potatoes, as well you can make fried mashed potatoes with it, and if there are some bits and pieces of the roast in there all the better... throw in some cheese at the end... really really good... If I have leftovers from making mushroroms and onions for toppings for steak, chicken or pork chops... and left over baked potatoes... you can get really creative...

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I'm confused by this - area we talking about boiling onions in the water with the potatoes before mashing, chunks of raw onion mashed in or something else? I've had whipped potatoes with chives (small green flecks) in them - it seems like more of a garnish than a flavour element. Never had them with onions any other way that I can remember and definitely wouldn't prepare them like that at home.

I boil my potatoes with onions and garlic cloves in the water; when everything is tender I drain it, then mash it all together with butter, milk, and salt. Adds a lot more flavor to the mashed potatoes. Plus, I love onions and garlic and add them to just about every savory dish that I can!

Editing to add that i don't serve gravy, so that's why I like the potatoes to have extra flavor. I have struggled with anorexia all my life and I developed an aversion to animal fats when I was a teen. I couldn't stand to look at or touch butter, lard, meat, cheese, etc. It's 20-some years later and I'm mostly over my aversion, but I still can't handle gravy, looking at it makes me feel sick. We sprinkle cheese on our mashed potatoes, and when I make Jack Daniel's sauce my son puts it on his mashed potatoes like it's gravy (which also makes me feel a little sick!).

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I don't do raw onions, but I do like, on occasion, some carmelized onions on top, and I'll add a bit of sour cream to the mash. I put other, because I 'change' the mash to accomodate the flavor of the onion.

 

[PollyannaMom]

My Mom used an electric mixer to get her mashed potatoes smooth.

Mine did that too, but they used to get "glue-y"

It drove her nuts that I liked the instant ones in TV dinners better.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Mine did that too, but they used to get "glue-y"

It drove her nuts that I liked the instant ones in TV dinners better.

Mom's were always perfect. I know what you mean about gluey mashed potatoes though. Overcooking the potatoes, not draining them well & over beating them can all cause that.

 

[ImDMous]

My mom did indeed put raw diced onions in her mashed potatoes (I think, maybe they were slightly cooked but definitely not sauteed or anything), from what I remember. I haven't done it and I don't recall ever having my grandmother's mashed potatoes so I don't know if she got it from her mom or did it herself or what. They were very small pieces and usually instant mashed potatoes. Maybe it disguised the lumps? Are these potatoes lumpy? No! It's onions, now eat your dinner.

 

[DisLiss]

I've never even heard of such a thing! I like onions just fine, but I definitely do NOT put them into mashed potatoes.

 

[DietCoke18]

No and it sounds revolting.

 

[Imzadi]

To me (and obviously many others) the definition of mashed potatoes means smooth and the very few other ingredients used to make them creamy are the only additions. To me even garlic mashed potatoes should be labeled as such because they don't fit the "norm" people expect. I put onions in almost every other kind of potato dish, but NEVER in mashed potatoes.

Yes, as I said in a previous post, I was extremely disappointed when I went to a gourmet restaurant that served (their version of garlicky) mashed potatoes. The waitress had said the mashed potatoes were standard with most entrees, (so probably their specialty,) unless I wanted to make a substitution. I hadn't been told it would be extremely garlicky and have chopped bits of garlic in it.

 

[Imzadi]

Mine did that too, but they used to get "glue-y"

It drove her nuts that I liked the instant ones in TV dinners better.

Oh, those TV dinner mashed potatoes. I always noticed the water in it separated from the frozen clump of potatoes and the potatoes then became grainy. Or maybe they stayed grainy, as they probably were from an instant mix.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

heck no, and if you try, we are wrestling

Oh yeah?
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRP


You should have known you are no match for my five point onion breath exploding lung technique.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Onions in mashed potatoes?
Hmmm. Well yeah if you want to put some sour cream in too. Sour cream within and green onions on the top would be fine. Or sour cream and some chives. As for cooking a yellow or white onion and dropping them in, well probably not. Not with mashed anyway. Texture thing mostly. I like my mashed smooth. What I would really want in mashed potatoes is a hint of onion flavor without the actual onions going in. There are various ways to do that. Now if I were making "smashed" potatoes, I don't see a problem.