White Wine Is The Key To Expensive Tasting Instant Mashed Potatoes

Instant mashed potatoes have their place in the pantry, offering a fast and comforting side starch when time — and energy — are short. But what if there was a way to transform this convenience ingredient into a restaurant-worthy dish that tastes delicious and expensive? This is completely within your grasp as long as you have some white wine on hand.

Like adding aromatics such as spicy garlic and chopped fresh herbs, a bit of white wine will bring an additional layer of depth to your instant mash. Cooking with wine often works as a flavorful boon to your dishes, as the alcohol in the wine will help the food release flavor molecules and cut through the fat. For this instant mash hack, white wine is turned into a wine sauce that provides a much-needed dose of acidity as a fresh counterpoint to all of the starchy richness. So how should you go about adding a glass of vino to your instant mashed potato mix?

You'll start by preparing your instant mashed potato as directed, mixing it with boiling water. While that's waiting in the wings, you'll make a wine sauce. Straight wine would overpower your creamy mashed potatoes, so a bit of cooking is needed to make things palatable. In a saucepan, you'll simmer down a half cup of white wine into roughly 2 tablespoons. While it's simmering, you can add in a bit of garlic or onions, but it's not necessary.

Next, you'll add a healthy dose of fat in the form of butter, letting it melt in, and make a sort of glaze that coats the back of a spoon. You can stir this directly into your mashed potatoes now, or stir in a few herbs, like parsley or thyme, before adding to the mash. From there, you can adjust your seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired or even a squeeze of lemon juice for a final touch of brightness. With that, you'll have made a mashed potato dish far superior to its instant classification.