Add This Sweet Addition To Your Mashed Potatoes For A Flavor Boost

Few sides are as universally beloved as mashed potatoes, and their cross-cultural appeal makes them the perfect canvas for creative twists. Take Indian-style mashed potatoes, or aloo bharta, which incorporate mustard oil, onions, and spices for a sweet and smoky flavor, while French-style pommes puree rely on generous amounts of butter for a rich, creamy texture garnished with a sprinkle of chives. In short, there's no limit to how you can build and combine flavor in this classic dish. In that spirit, one sweet addition worth trying is maple syrup. To find out why this pairing works so well, Food Republic consulted Edmund McCormick, food ingredient expert and founder of Cape Crystal Brands.

"Maple syrup does its thing through a chemistry of umami and caramelization, not just sweetness," McCormick told us. You'd be forgiven for thinking maple syrup is all sugar, and in a way it is. It starts off as maple sap, which is made up primarily of water and sugar. This is then slowly boiled down until it thickens and darkens, developing deep, toasty flavors through two distinct yet important chemical reactions: caramelization and a touch of Maillard browning (which occurs due to the small amount of amino acids present in the maple sap). As a result of these complex processes, when paired with mashed potatoes, "Maple syrup brings woodsy, smoky, and toffee-like undertones that play well with the cream and butter instead of competing with them," McCormick explained. "It's akin to what a hint of brown sugar does in a barbecue rub — it adds complexity, not sweetness."

Maple syrup contributes to a rich depth of flavor, but as with all things in cooking, moderation is key. "For balance, I typically put in about 1 to 1½ teaspoons of ... maple syrup for every pound of potatoes," Edmund McCormick told us. "It's just enough to make [the] potatoes even richer without making this dish cloying."

Beyond flavor, maple syrup is also known for its viscous texture, which is wonderful in light doses, but too much can make any dish dense and sticky. Maple syrup also comes in several different grades, and McCormick recommends using a darker grade syrup (which is literally darker due to late-season harvesting). This affects microbial activity in the sap, triggering chemical reactions that promote caramelization and produce syrups with "more caramelized compounds and less sucrose sweetness," McCormick explained.

There's a wide range of seasonings that pair beautifully with mashed potatoes enhanced with maple syrup. "Roasted garlic, for umami depth," McCormick suggested, or "smoked paprika or chipotle powder, for a hint of heat and smoke." To keep with the smoky theme, swap regular butter for brown butter, which adds a nutty, caramelized flavor that complements the maple syrup perfectly, or even mix in a spoonful of miso paste and garlic for deeper umami undertones. For garnish, McCormick advised adding "fresh thyme or rosemary, for a hit of herbal brightness." To bring the dish into balance, he also recommended adding "crispy shallots or crumbled bacon," but even salt will do the trick, ensuring your dish lands perfectly in the middle of sweet and savory.