Thanksgiving mashed potatoes are a must. We’ve got 5 recipes

People have strong opinions about mashed potatoes, but they tend to agree they absolutely belong on the Thanksgiving table. But that’s pretty much where the agreement ends. Should one use waxy potatoes or starchy potatoes? Skins on or skins off? Silky smooth or chunky and “textured”? Mashed or smashed? Add other flavorants or stick with butter and cream? Ultimately, it’s a matter of personal preference. Whatever way you make them, mashed potatoes soothe the soul as much as they please the palate. Here are a few different ways to mash it up for your holiday table.

It’s hard to go wrong with classic, Creamy Mashed Potatoes — baking potatoes, milk and butter. Fluffy and rich, this is the baseline from which the variants drift — or sprint, depending on how far afield you want to go. Creamy Leek Mashed Potatoes are vegan and rely on a puree of caramelized leeks and nutritional yeast for creaminess and a more complex flavor.

The skins-on approach of Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes With Fried Sage makes for less work, more texture and more nutrition. They use yogurt for extra creaminess and tang and get a contrasting bit of crunch from the crispy sage. Also tangy from yogurt, Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes have chunks (some might say lumps) of potato and roasted garlic and thus a coarser texture, as the smash stops short of a full-on mash.

A play on the concept of the twice-baked potato, Once-Baked Mashed Potatoes With Fried Sage Skins are like a mashed potato casserole on steroids. Crème fraîche and eggs, along with a full stick of butter, are stirred into the cooked, mashed potatoes. The decadent mixture is then baked and emerges from the oven silky and lush. The potato skins and fresh sage leaves are crisped in oil to make a flavor-packed crunchy garnish for serving. Put aside a few of the skins for a satisfying snack — or to pile onto your leftover turkey sandwich the next day.

A classic mash is always a crowd-pleaser. Amp it up a little or embellish it to the hilt. Whichever way you go, whoever gets to eat them will thank you.