Do I need to add sugar to the caramelized onions?

No, there's no need. Some recipes call for sugar because it helps the onions caramelize quicker but all you need is to add water as needed and to have patience. I like adding apple cider when I have it. It adds natural sugar and a little bit of flavor to the potatoes.

How long do the onions keep for?

You can store the caramelized onions in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container if you don't use all of them for the mashed potatoes. You can use them in burgers, sandwiches, and on meat or veggies.

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes

Description

These Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes inspired by french onion soup are creamy, delicious, easy to make, and perfect for Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

Scale

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
2 large yellow or white onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp sea salt, divided
1 tsp fresh thyme
¼ cup apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar)
1000g Yukon or russet potatoes, peeled and largely diced
1 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
½ cup creme fraiche
1 cup milk, divided (I use cashew milk)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and oil.
Once the butter is almost melted, add the sliced onions and 1 tsp sea salt, and toss.
Stir the onions often in the first 5 minutes of cooking. They should start to slightly caramelize around 10 minutes. Add the fresh thyme and half of the apple cider at around 15 minutes of cooking and the rest at 20 minutes. Add a splash of water as needed if the onions are sticking too much and burning.
Cook for a total of 30-35 minutes. The onions should have a deep golden brown color but shouldn’t be burned. Set aside.
While the onions are cooking, start cooking the potatoes.
Add diced potatoes to a large pot of water and season with 1 tsp sea salt and caraway seeds (if using). Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.
Add creme fraiche and 1/2 of milk. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or a handheld mixer.
Add more milk and keep mashing. Add more until you reach the desired consistency.
Stir in most of the caramelized onions but leave a little bit for garnish.
Serve the potatoes with more caramelized onions, fresh thyme, or melted butter.

Notes

Butter: The caramelized onions already have a decent amount of butter and oil in them and the creme fraiche is heavier than regular cream so I usually skip adding butter on top of the potatoes as I feel like they don’t need it but you totally can if you want!

Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Reheating: Reheat the potatoes in a medium saucepan on the stove with a splash of milk or water until heated through.

Keywords: caramelized onion mashed potatoes