Mashed potatoes are a new item on our three kids' menus — ages 3 1/2, 2 and 10 months. We’ve lived in Italy for the last four years, where potatoes aren’t very starchy, so we didn’t eat them this way often. Now we’re in North Carolina, where the local spuds are organically grown and perfect for mashing. Because they’re novel, I’ve got a few tricks to make them a successful part of the meal.

Always: Use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and buttermilk for cream — both add protein and cut fat, two habits I’d like our kids to get used to early.

Sometimes: Add finely diced veggies to the boiling water during the last few minutes of cooking. Shredded spinach, kale or carrots can always be called “confetti.” Or get more clandestine with turnips or cauliflower.

Special occasions: Serve a dollop of mashed potatoes in an espresso cup — coaster optional!

Try These 5-Star Mashed Potato Recipes:

• Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Baked Mashed Potatoes With Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs
• BLT Smashed Potatoes
• Mashed Potatoes
• Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes (pictured above)

Related Reading:

• Macaroni and Cheese Made Even More Kid-Friendly

Charity Curley Mathews dreams of raising kids who eat (and enjoy) real food. A former VP at MarthaStewart.com, she's a contributor to The Huffington Post and heads up Foodlets.com: Mini Foodies in the Making…Maybe. Together with her husband and three small children, she now cooks in North Carolina.