These luscious Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes are sure to stand out at your next holiday feast. They’re wonderfully rich, made with gruyere cheese, and topped with fresh herbs.
These Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes are hands down one of our favorite potato dishes to date. They’re creamy, decadent, and packed with layers of flavor. The combination of the sweet and savory shallots, nutty gruyere, and fresh herbs send these mashed potatoes over the top.
They’re a perfect addition to any Thanksgiving, Christmas, or holiday dinner, and they’re well worth the time and effort. If you want to try more luxurious potato dishes, you can also try our Leek and Pancetta Potatoes au Gratin.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below!
- Shallots: Make sure they’re sliced to the same thickness so they cook evenly. Thin slices are best and will caramelize easier than thick slices.
- Sherry Vinegar: This adds so much depth and nuance to the shallots. If you can’t find any, you can try substituting it with red or white wine vinegar. It won’t be exactly the same, but those are your safest bet.
- Yukon Gold Potatoes: These buttery potatoes make for a silky, flavorful mash.
- Gruyere Cheese: You can’t go wrong with a bit of nutty gruyere. It goes perfectly with the shallots.
- Kerrygold Salted Butter: The gold standard for mashed potatoes.
- Heavy Cream: A touch of cream in addition to the milk makes the potatoes even more rich and delicious.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This section provides a general overview as well as any pictures to guide you through the recipe. The full detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
1. Slice the shallots. Cut them in half lengthwise then slice them very thin. If they’re too thick, they might take longer to fully caramelize.
2. Caramelize the shallots. Add them to a heated pan with butter and toss them with sugar, sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat and stir them often for 40-45 minutes until deeply caramelized.
3. Score the potatoes. Use a paring knife to score a line around the center of the potatoes. This helps with peeling later.
4. Boil and peel the potatoes. Cook the potatoes until fork tender then drain them. Cool for 15 minutes then rub the skins off with a paper towel starting with the line scored around the center. The skins should come right off.
5. Mash the potatoes. Put them through a potato ricer into a large saucepan. This creates smoother, more evenly textured mashed potatoes.
6. Cook the mashed potatoes. Place the potato mash over medium heat and add the rest of the ingredients (reserve a bit of gruyere for topping). Stir in the milk a little at a time then add the cream. Reduce the heat and stir occasionally until thickened.
7. Add the shallots and make adjustments. Stir in about â…” of the shallots then add more salt and pepper to taste.
8. Plate and add the toppings. Place the potatoes onto a serving dish and top with the remaining caramelized shallots, gruyere, chopped sage, and thyme leaves. Add a pat of butter on top just before serving.
Expert Tips
- Peel the potatoes after boiling. You’ll lose less potato flesh and the skins will slough right off.
- Use warm milk and butter. This creates a smoother mash so you don’t end up with any seized lumps.
- Use Kerrygold butter. For quality mashed potatoes, we highly recommend using Kerrygold butter. Its richness and flavor make such a big difference!
- Add a splash of water to unstick any bits on the pan. While cooking the shallots, be sure to scrape down the pan as you stir. If you find that too much has gotten stuck to the pan, you can add a small splash of water to loosen any bits from the bottom.
FAQ
Adding too much milk at once can cause the potatoes to be super thin. Be sure to add it in increments, mixing it in thoroughly before adding more. If it’s still too thin, just keep them over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until thickened to your liking.
While they taste much better fresh, you can place them into freezer-safe bags and store them in the freezer for up to one month. Thaw them in the fridge overnight then heat them back up in a saucepan. Just note that the shallots will lose their color if you freeze them.
The potatoes should last up to 3 days in the fridge when stored in an airtight container.
If you made this Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes recipe, please let us know by leaving a star rating and review down below. We’d love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Potato Ricer
Ingredients
Caramelized Shallots
- 1 lb (454 g) shallots halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp sherry vinegar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 lbs (907 g) Yukon Gold potatoes washed
- ½ cup (113 g) Kerrygold salted butter melted and warm
- 1 cup (60 g) grated gruyere cheese packed
- ½ tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk warm
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
For Serving
- 4 sage leaves finely chopped
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 pat butter
Instructions
Caramelized Shallots
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan then toss in the shallots.
- Add the sugar, sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Continue cooking, stirring frequently until deeply caramelized and softened, about 40-45 minutes. Scrape the pan as you go to remove any stuck bits.* Once done, set aside in a bowl.
Mashed Potatoes
- While the shallots are cooking, use a paring knife to score a line around the center of the potatoes. This will help with peeling later.
- Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover the tops with 1-inch (2.5 cm) of water. Salt the water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue boiling for 20-30 minutes until fork tender. The time will depend on how large your potatoes are.
- Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
- Use a paper towel to help you peel the potatoes starting from the line you scored around the center (they'll still be hot so be careful). The skins should come of easily.
- Place the peeled potatoes through a potato ricer placed over a large saucepan.**
- Put the potatoes on the stove over medium heat and stir in the melted butter, gruyere (reserve about 1-2 tbsp of gruyere for topping), salt, and pepper.
- Stir in the milk a little at a time then add the cream. Mix until well combined.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally for 6-8 minutes until thickened.
- Turn off the heat and stir in â…” of the caramelized shallots. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Place in a serving bowl and top with the remaining shallots, gruyere, chopped sage, and thyme leaves. Add a pat of butter on top and enjoy!
Notes
- If needed, add a small splash of water to help unstick any shallots from the pan.
- We use the same pot we boiled the potatoes in for cooking the mashed potatoes. Just rinse it with water and wipe it down before using again. That way you don’t need to use an extra pot.
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