I Discovered the Magic Ingredient for Absolutely Epic Mashed Potatoes Without Milk

I've figured out a way to make mashed potatoes without milk so good you may never go back to the traditional kind again. Really. Just one ingredient (and no, it's not butter) can bring out the flavor of the potatoes and make them shine. This creamy, salty, fermented ingredient can add depth to the most simple of dishes. Depth and flavor you didn't even know was possible with just a spoonful or two of this under-the-radar ingredient.

Miso soup rings a bell, yes? Well, miso, a nutritious fermented condiment made from soybeans and sometimes rice and other grains, can be used in way more than just miso soup. It can turn a pot of homemade mashed potatoes—yes even the kind without any milk or cream at all—into an umami-rich pot of comfort. Here's how to make mashed potatoes without milk:

Start by boiling red potatoes with onion to infuse them with flavor from the very beginning. Then, a good handful of chopped scallions get cooked in just a couple tablespoons of butter before adding the real show-stopper, miso paste. Before you know it, you've just made a miso-scallion butter that will soak into the mashed red potatoes for bite after bite of mouthwatering mashed potatoes.

The seasoned and starchy liquid the potatoes simmer in makes these mashed potatoes creamy. Start by adding a couple tablespoons of the cooking liquid until you reach the consistency you like best (less liquid for thicker potatoes, more for creamier potatoes). The final touch is topping the mashed potatoes with fresh sliced scallions and several grinds of black pepper. Dig into these spuds this season for a wildly updated but sure-to-be smash hit side.

There you have it: My Smashed Potatoes with Miso, the most delicious mashed potatoes without milk that I've ever had!

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Bonus points: miso paste is a gut-friendly ingredient that aids in digestion. Shop for white miso paste which is the mildest one. Crushing hard on miso paste now? Find it in a bright pasta, a luscious dip, or in these radishes like you've never seen them. More Better-For-You recipes, here.