The Best Way To Add A Bit Of Crunch To Your Mashed Potatoes

When it comes to staple produce items, there are few examples that are tastier — and more versatile — than potatoes. Whether the starchy tubers take the form of French fries, potato salad, roasted potatoes, or countless other tasty examples, we certainly wouldn't want to find our cupboard bare of potatoes.

And of all the classic potato recipes, there might not be one more appealing than mashed potatoes. Usually a simple, yet irresistible combination of boiled potatoes, butter, and milk or cream, the holiday-appropriate side dish is also a wonderful everyday accompaniment to comforting main dishes, such as meatloaf and roast chicken (via Back to My Southern Roots). Whether you prefer smooth and creamy mashed potatoes, or tend to make them in a chunkier style, we're willing to bet you've been known to jazz them up with mix-ins such as sour cream, bacon, and cheeses such as cheddar. But have you ever thought about topping your mashers once they're served? If not, it's time to consider these tasty ideas for crunchy toppings for mashed potatoes.

Whether prepared in a smooth style or left chunky, mashed potatoes are essentially a creamy side dish, with the starch of the potatoes enriched by luxe ingredients such as cream and butter. Therefore, it can be a nice change of pace to serve your mashers with a crunchy topping, which provides an additional textural element and contrasts nicely with the smooth potatoes.

Many of us have been known to mix additional ingredients into our mashed potatoes, from crumbled feta cheese to chopped scallions. But if you have never topped your mashed potatoes, it might be time to employ these suggestions from Lifehacker. The site suggests a sprinkling of crunchy garlic chips, fried turkey or chicken skin, sage leaves fried in bacon fat or olive oil, or even those fried onions that come in a can. In addition to the crunch these toppings provide, they also jazz up the look of mashed potatoes, turning a sea of off-white into a more visually appealing dish.