Canned Corn Brings A Varied Texture To Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Creamy mashed potatoes are among the most popular side dishes for both special occasions and a comforting meal at home, and for good reason. All that salty, buttery, starchy goodness warms you from the inside out, and mashed potatoes pair incredibly well with all kinds of foods. Still, even the best mashed potato recipes can get a little boring over time. To add a bit of excitement, all you need is canned corn. While you may be used to eating mashed potatoes alongside veggies like corn, adding canned corn directly to your mashed potatoes can add a much-needed textural element to the dish. Stay with us, we promise it's not as weird as it sounds. While some people leave their mashed potatoes a little chunky to add a bit of texture, canned corn offers crunchy texture and slightly sweet flavor to what might otherwise be one-note potatoes.

When you add the corn depends on the texture you want for your potatoes. Stir it in after mashing your potatoes to keep the corn whole so you get pops of sweet, juicy goodness in every bite. If you prefer your corn a bit more integrated into the dish, add it before you mash your potatoes so the corn flavor is distributed into the potatoes themselves and the corn pieces are softer.

Canned whole-kernel corn is a great upgrade for mashed potatoes, but you can also enhance your spuds with canned creamed corn, letting the cream from the corn take the place of butter and milk you'd typically add to your mashed potatoes. It's as easy as opening the can and pouring it in. To take things a step further, though, you can put a spin on your canned corn before adding it to your potatoes. While you may think of mashed potatoes as the perfect vessel for gravy, it's time to start thinking of them as the perfect canvas for all of your favorite flavors, particularly your favorite corn recipes.

Some of the best ways to upgrade your canned corn can also seriously improve your mashed potatoes with corn concoction. Giving your canned corn a quick pan fry or roasting it in the oven before mixing it with your potatoes can offer a delicious caramelization that complements the creamy potatoes. Toss the corn with Tajín or Trader Joe's Everything But the Elote seasoning to make a Mexican street corn-inspired mashed potato dish sprinkled with cotija cheese. Or take the classic two-kernel corn casserole to another level by mixing mashed potatoes with creamed and whole-kernel corn and topping the whole thing with cheese before baking it in the oven. Once you mix your corn and mashed potatoes, you'll wonder why you haven't been doing it all along.