Mashed potato trick uses little-known ingredient to make it 'instantly tastier'

Mashed potatoes are a , pairing perfectly with a range of classic dishes like sausages, stew, fish, and cottage pie. The simple yet comforting combination of potatoes, milk and butter makes it a crowd-pleaser. While it's easy to make, there's no need to settle for a bland or gluey mash – and the experts have a surprising trick up their sleeve to take your mashed potatoes to the next level with a burst of salty flavour.

Chefs swear by adding a Parmesan rind to give your mash a depth of flavour, injecting a delicious "touch of salt and earthiness" into the dish. The often-overlooked rind, typically discarded by home cooks unaware it's edible, is actually a culinary treasure.

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Formed as the cheese block ages, this firm layer is a favourite among pro chefs for adding oomph to soups, stews, and a host of other dishes, particularly in Italian cooking.

The foodies at AllRecipes.com insist the rind should "never be thrown away", hailing it as "almost as delicious and useful as the cheese itself". Nutrition expert Sara Haas, from AllRecipes, first stumbled upon the Parmesan rind hack while at culinary school, and it's been a game-changer, reports .

"I plopped it right in my warm pot full of milk and melted butter," she revealed. "I let it simmer there for about 20 minutes, which coincidentally was about the same amount of time my potatoes needed to cook.

"After mashing my potatoes, I removed the rind from my pot and poured in my milk mixture. It was delicious."

The culinary expert insists that anyone can whip up this dish with ease, and it's adaptable to personal taste by simply tweaking the rind size or simmer duration.

This revolutionary recipe suggests a leisurely simmer of milk, butter, and a chunk of Parmesan rind over a medium-low flame for a good 20 minutes before mashing it into your spuds and seasoning to perfection.

Plus, it's an ideal go-to when the fridge is looking bare, thanks to the rind's impressive shelf life.

Hanging onto a Parmesan rind for a rainy day is a breeze, advise the food gurus at AllRecipes. "It's easy to store a Parmesan rind until you need it," they say.

The trick is to pop it in a zip-lock freezer bag and stash it in the deep freeze. It'll stay fresh for up to a year – just remember to slap on a label with the date.