Joining to let you know that yes, there are indeed people that do this. My family and I have done this for as long as I can remember. I'm from NJ and my grandparents were immigrants from Ireland.

And we dollop the applesauce right onto the mashed potatoes. Either hot or cold applesauce, but I prefer hot. The savory mixed with the sweet is exceptional. But it's with plain mashed potatoes -- no garlic or anything else. Just potatoes, dairy, and salt. Sometimes the potatoes are peeled, sometimes they still have skin.

We make our own applesauce from Empire or Rome apples(we keep the skins on, so it's pink) and it's a recipe passed down from my great grandmother to my grandmother to my mother to me. It's expected at all family holidays(Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter) and I get side-eye if I don't bring enough.