The Herbaceous Cheese That Lends Boatloads Of Flavor To Your Potatoes

If you want to switch up your potato game, there's an easy cheesy add-in that can lend boatloads of creamy, herbaceous flavor to your potatoes — almost any way you like them. It's called Boursin. Created in 1957 in northern France by François Boursin (from whom it takes its name) the cheese's texture is similar to chevre: a bit of crumble but mostly soft and spreadable like cream cheese.

The original Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs version (enjoyed in France since its creation) has seen its popularity spread as easily as the cheese itself, to thirty-five countries including the United States. Though Boursin currently comes in nine varieties in the US (including a limited edition Black Truffle and Sea Salt and a non-dairy version), the original garlic herb flavor — with its slightly tangy, garlic-forward flavor and background notes of parsley and chive — is still the most versatile and beloved.

A white cheese made from cow's milk, Boursin is often used on crackers and bread but pairs well with a wide range of foods, not the least of which is the potato, which provides an eager canvas ripe with a variety of textures on which to play.

The lushly rich mouthfeel and mild but slightly tangy-sweet flavor of Boursin cheese makes it easy to integrate into most, if not all, of your favorite potato dishes. You can use it as a stir-in for a flavorful twist on cauliflower potato soup or whip it into mashed potatoes. And Boursin becomes a flavorful surprise when tucked into the slits of hasselback potatoes, melting and mingling its herbaceous flavors. It's delicious at breakfast, too, like when it's layered in a luscious potato frittata or sprinkled inside an omelet with spinach. 

Grilling or baking potatoes? Scoop the fluffy insides out of its cooked potato skin and mix with Boursin, before placing it back into the potato skin for a next-level twice-baked experience, topping with fresh chives, crumbled bacon, or diced tomatoes for a killer side dish that takes center stage.

Got sweet potatoes? No problem. Try a light crumbling of Boursin and crushed walnuts on crisp-baked sweet potato slices or tossed with sweet potato gnocchi bathed in saged-browned butter, taking this saccharin root vegetable to new heights. And while it may seem cheesy, when it comes to potatoes, there really isn't a lot a little Boursin can't elevate — even homemade potato bread toast.