The Mashed Potatoes Trick To Boost Your Frozen Pot Pie

If you have one of our favorite brands of frozen pot pies at home, you may be looking for some exciting ways to elevate it. While you can totally enjoy it as is, one trick that we're forever obsessed with is taking some mashed potatoes and adding them on top. While some recipes use mashed potatoes to top a pot pie that only has a bottom crust, you can think of this version as a makeshift cottage pie, but with a fun little layer of crust separating the potatoes from the meat filling. For a texture (or carb) lover, this is probably already giving you all the feels.

To make it, you can either whip up a fresh batch of spuds or take it as your opportunity to use up some leftover mashed potatoes. Since the pot pie is frozen, you'll want to cook it per the instructions on the package and then top it with the cooked (and warmed!) potatoes. You can enjoy it just as it is, or if you'd like to brown the potatoes a bit, place the pot pie back in the oven and let it broil until the potatoes have browned to your liking (about one to two minutes).

While topping the pot pie with classic mashed potatoes is already a delicious hack, there's even more that you can do. For example, you can switch up the potato variety per your liking. Really love sweet potato mash? Go for it! You could even season them with spices like smoked paprika for a savory spin that works really well with sweet potatoes' inherent sweetness. The spices will also help tie the topping into the pot pie's more savory filling. Similarly, you could add herbs or spices to your regular mashed potatoes that play well with the pie you're making. For instance, a frozen rosemary chicken pot pie would work perfectly with a rosemary and garlic mash — while a chili pot pie would benefit from additional spices like chili powder (or even a dash of cinnamon to a batch of sweet potato mash).

Additionally, you could incorporate some cheesy goodness, whether that's adding shredded cheddar to your mashed potatoes while you're cooking them, or topping the pie with some so that it melts and browns on top. You could also zhuzh things up by adding chopped green onions or fresh parsley at the end for both a finishing touch and added flavor and pizzazz.