Mashed potatoes are a staple of British diets and complement a variety of classic dishes, from sausages and stew to fish and cottage pie. There’s something about the combination of potatoes, milk and butter that makes it an endlessly comforting and relatively simple meal to whip up. But while straightforward to make, there’s no reason to compromise on taste or creaminess when it comes to the unfussy side dish – and experts have revealed an unexpected way to elevate your mashed potatoes with a dash of salty flavour through just one added ingredient.
Chefs said adding Parmesan rind to mashed potatoes is a surefire way to boost its flavour, adding a delicious “touch of salt and earthiness” by making use of the “culinary gold” part of a Parmesan block that is often thrown away by cooks unaware that it is safe to eat. The rind is a firm layer created at the end of the cheese block as it ages, and while often disregarded by amateur chefs, it is commonly used by professionals to flavour soups, stews and other dishes, especially in Italian cuisine.
Food experts at AllRecipes.com said the rind should “never be thrown away”, describing it as “almost as delicious and useful as the cheese itself”.
Sara Haas, nutrition pro at AllRecipes, said she first experimented with including Parmesan rind in a mashed potatoes recipe while at culinary school. “I plopped it right in my warm pot full of milk and melted butter,” she added.
“I let it simmer there for about 20 minutes, which coincidentally was about the same amount of time my potatoes needed to cook. After mashing my potatoes, I removed the rind from my pot and poured in my milk mixture. It was delicious.”
The method is easy to replicate, she said, and can be modified to suit different preferences by varying the size of the rind and the length of time it sits in the pot.
The game-changing recipe, which recommends simmering milk, butter and the Parmesan rind on medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes before combining with potatoes and adding seasoning, can also be a no-frills ’empty fridge’ meal due to the rind’s long shelf life.
“It’s easy to store a Parmesan rind until you need it,” the experts at AllRecipes said. “The best place is in a resealable freezer bag in the freezer. It’ll last that way for up to 1 year, so don’t forget to label and date it.”
