How To Make The Best Creamy Boursin Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Elevate your side dish game with these creamy Boursin cheese mashed potatoes! Impress every guest with this flavorful mashed potato recipe.
They pair with chicken, beef, pork, salmon – truly whatever you’re making. Try with one of my easy chicken recipes, like Crockpot Marry Me Chicken, Sheet Pan Pomegranate Chicken with Brussels Sprouts or my Healthy Baked Lemon and Herb Chicken.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Built-in gourmet flavor: The Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese does all the heavy lifting. No peeling garlic, or chopping herbs.
- Ultra-creamy and velvety texture: Boursin melts effortlessly into warm dishes, and when combined with butter and milk turns the potatoes into a creamy dream.
- Less ingredients & less work: Because the cheese is already perfectly seasoned and creamy you get to skip long ingredient lists and steps. You only need potatoes, butter, milk, salt, pepper, and your Boursin of choice.
- Perfect anytime: This dish is the ultimate side dish, as its easy to adapt to your mains and is impressive any day of the week. You can make it ahead of time during the holidays or busy weeknights.
What is Boursin cheese?
Boursin is a creamy, crumbly, French cow’s milk cheese. It is perfectly spreadable and melts beautifully into warm dishes. It traditionally features garlic and fine herbs, but you can find a variety of flavors at your local grocery store.
Ingredients needed
Yukon gold potatoes: They have a naturally creamy, buttery texture.
Unsalted butter: Helps control the salt in the dish.
Whole milk: Also known as homogenized milk, it has a 3.25% fat content.
Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin cheese: A MUST to make these mashed potatoes!
Salt & pepper: The only seasonings you need.
What types of potatoes that make the best mashed potatoes
The best potatoes for mashed potatoes are Yukon Golds or Russets (aka Idaho).
Why?
Yukon Golds are naturally buttery, and creamy. They add a level of creaminess that can’t be duplicated. They also hold onto added butter and cream well without turning watery. You can leave the skins on for a rustic look and extra texture – but I don’t recommend that for this recipe.
Russets (aka Idaho), create a light and fluffy mashed potato that absorbs dairy easily. I always peel Russets, their skins are tough and won’t mix well, even if you’re looking for a different texture.
Avoid using Red Potatoes. They have high water and starch content that won’t work well, and will leave you disappointed. I’ve tried it so you don’t have to!
Key steps to make Boursin mashed potatoes
- Peel and chop your potatoes into consistent sized pieces – 1 inch pieces.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it well.
- Cook your potatoes until fork tender.
- Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer or mash them.
- Warm the milk, butter, Boursin, salt and pepper in a saucepan.
- Add the riced/mashed potatoes to the warmed Boursin mixture and stir to combine.
- Taste test – adjust seasoning as needed and feel free to add more butter or a little extra milk if you’d like more creaminess. Garnish with a drizzle of warmed butter, or chopped fresh chives or parsley.
What if I don’t have a potato ricer, what can I use instead?
You can use a standard potato masher, a fork or an electric hand mixer. Whatever you have on hand – just don’t over mix.
If you’re using standard potato masher, press straight down and move around the pot. Do not over-mash or twist the masher.
A large metal serving fork works well for smaller batches, just mash them against the sides of the hot pot.
And if you have an electric hand mixer, fluff up the potatoes on low speed first then add in the warm ingredients just until they are combined.
What to serve with mashed potatoes
These creamy mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for practically anything you have on this weeks menu!
They pair with chicken, beef, pork, salmon – truly whatever you’re making. I’d recommend trying them with one of my quick and easy chicken recipes, like Crockpot Marry Me Chicken, Sheet Pan Pomegranate Chicken with Brussels Sprouts or my Healthy Baked Lemon and Herb Chicken.
Or, pair with my Easy Lemon & Herb Butter Roasted Turkey for a special occasion like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Tips & Tricks
The way you cook your potatoes and how you mix them will be the difference between a creamy, flavorful side dish and one that falls flat.
- Start your potatoes in cold, generously salted water (think pasta water), and cut your potatoes into consistent sizes.
- Once your potatoes are fork-tender, drain them and return them to their empty cooking pot. Then return the potato filled pot to the burner for 1 to 2 minutes, over a low heat. Shake the pot gently while on the burner. You will see steam escape; this removes any excess water and prevents your potatoes from being watery and lets them soak up maximum flavor.
- Always warm your butter and milk or cream before adding into your potatoes, the cold fats won’t mix properly and will cool down your hot dish.
- Avoid over mixing, ensure to mix ingredients until just combined. And never use a food processor, stand mixer or a blender. Over mixing and high speeds turns potato starches into a gummy mess.
Variations & other flavor ideas
Potatoes are the perfect blank slate – they are delicious on their own, but why not add a flavor combo you’re craving?
I usually simmer a few smashed garlic cloves or springs of thyme, rosemary or other fresh herbs I have on hand, directly in my milk and butter mixture, then strain them out before pouring the liquid into the potatoes. But by using any one of the Boursin Cheese flavors, I’ve been saving myself this step and getting that extra creaminess and flavor from the Boursin instead. It’s been game changing.
You can follow this recipe and swap out the Garlic Herb Boursin for the Rosemary & Black Garlic, Black Truffle & Sea Salt (just omit the additional salt), Caramelized Onion & Herbs, Shallot & Chive or Basil & Chive Boursin flavors. They all work beautifully with the measurements provided.
How to store and make-ahead
You can easily make these creamy Boursin Cheese mashed potatoes ahead of time for an easy weeknight side, a dinner party or big holiday meal. For best texture and flavor, you can make ahead a maximum of 2 days, as you’ll want them to be their freshest.
Storage
Refrigerator: Let the mashed potatoes cool completely to room temperature and store in an airtight container. I recommend pressing a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the potatoes before closing the lid to prevent drying. These will keep for 4 days in total, so if you made them ahead of time, adjust the time they will be good for.
Freezer: After cooling to room temperature, the mashed potatoes should be frozen in plastic freezer bags by pressing all the air out and flattening before sealing. This will prevent any additional drying out, and save freezer space
Reheating
When reheating your leftovers from the fridge or the freezer (let them thaw completely), the potatoes will look dry at first. Always stir in a splash of milk, cream, or a spoonful of butter when reheating to restore their texture.
Stovetop (preferred): Place the potatoes in a saucepan over low-to-medium Stir frequently so the bottom doesn’t scorch.
Oven (best for a large batch): Place potatoes in a buttered baking dish. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 350°F for 20–30 minutes until hot throughout.
Slow Cooker (most convenient): Add your potatoes to a buttered slow. Cover and heat on Low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Once hot throughout, switch it to the “Warm” setting for serving.
Microwave (fastest): Place potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring well between each burst to heat evenly.
FAQs
You can use a standard potato masher, a fork or an electric hand mixer. Whatever you have on hand – just don’t over mix.
You will typically find Boursin Cheese in the deli or specialty cheese section. It will likely be near other spreadable cheeses like goat cheese, of Brie.
For a rich and creamy texture, the best potatoes to use are Yukon Golds. If you want a lighter and fluffier dish, Russet potatoes are best. Do not use Red potatoes, they will not work.
For this recipe yes. If you’re looking for creamy light mashed potatoes, it is recommended that you peel your potatoes. If you want more texture, and a ‘smashed’ style of potatoes, you can leave the skin on.
More side dishes to enjoy from the blog
- How To Make Whole Roasted Carrots (With Flavor Variations)
- Quick & Easy Gnocchi With Mushrooms: An Easy Side Dish
- Roasted Cauliflower with Orange Tahini (side dish)
How To Make The Best Creamy Boursin Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 package (5.3 ounces / 150 grams) Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin cheese
Instructions
- Place the potatoes into a large pot with a generous pinch of salt and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Once potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and drain the water.
- Put the cooked potatoes through a ricer and set aside in a bowl. If you don’t have a ricer, mash the potatoes well in a bowl and set aside.
- Add the butter, salt, pepper, whole milk and Boursin cheese to the large pot over low heat. Stir to combine all of the ingredients together until the butter and Boursin have has melted and combined with the milk. Turn the heat off.
- Add the riced (or mashed potatoes) back to the pot and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Or, add more butter or milk if you need more creaminess.
Notes
- If you don’t have a potato ricer, you can use a standard potato masher, a fork or an electric hand mixer to mash the potatoes. Just don’t over mix.
- You will typically find Boursin Cheese in the deli or specialty cheese section. It will likely be near other spreadable cheeses like goat cheese, of Brie.
- For a rich and creamy texture, the best potatoes to use are Yukon Golds. If you want a lighter and fluffier dish, Russet potatoes are best. Do not use Red potatoes, they will not work.
