I have a thing for mashed potatoes. I’ve always loved them but it is only recently that I have become extremely self-aware of just what these soft spuds mean to me. They’ve become something totally polarizing to me—something I have developed the strictest of guidelines for. First, they should be made with cream or (though preferably “and”) whole milk. This means NO skim milk, 2% milk, or anything like that; you want these to be comforting, warm, luxurious, and soft like a pillowy and buttery cloud. Second, the milk and cream should be warmed, but the butter shouldn’t be melted. It should be room temperature and completely softened as if you were going to bake a cake with it. This ensures that potatoes are rich, creamy, and smooth. If the butter is melted the potatoes taste too greasy and buttery. You could argue here that if you were to melt it, then, you could add much less of it but the consistency wouldn’t be right—there’s no skimping on butter in mashed potatoes. This is not, has never been, and never will be diet food. Third, they should be silken and creamy, but still firm enough to maintain a little structure so you can make a mound of it, and create a well in the middle to accept a volcanically hot ladles worth of gravy. I have an inherited way (that’s a diplomatic way of saying stolen) of achieving this, which I’ll reveal later. Lastly*, and I feel very strongly about this one, they should be made with Yukon gold potatoes.
This is where polarizing opinions come in; the debate between starchy russets or waxy gold. Because russets have a much higher starch content the end result is fluffier and has that picturesque look of a ghost-white mound with perfect architecture and structure, begging to be piled high and smothered in gravy. However, their taste is less creamy and mealier. They aren’t rich. Yukon gold potatoes have less starch, and therefore need more cream and butter, and more beating and blending, to become smooth. If you like ultra creamy and soft set potatoes that pour and pool rather than them being scoop-able and structured, you can add cream and butter to you hearts content (or discontent, if you ask a cardiologist). I want something in between; I want the structure of a fluffier mash that you’d get from russets or Idahos, but I want the rich, creaminess of waxed potatoes.
The thing about using Yukon gold potatoes for your mash is that you don’t have to pump them full of copious amounts of cream and butter until they’re a smooth, almost liquid consistency—it’s just that they’re the perfect potato for that sort of thing, but it doesn’t mean that’s all they’re good for. In fact, if you whip them with a mixer it releases more of the potatoes’ starch than you’d get pressing them through a ricer, so they still end up with plenty of starch, but not so starchy that they’re mealy.
One important thing about mashed potatoes that should be noted is that not only is every type of potato different—and an important factor to the outcome of your mash—but each potato itself is different from the next. That’s to say that it’s entirely possible for you to make mashed potatoes one year for Thanksgiving, using Yukon gold, and you use a certain amount of cream and butter; however, when next Thanksgiving rolls around you may find you need far more or far less cream and butter. I mention this because I want it to be noted that the recipes I’m giving you below are more blueprints than anything—as are any mashed potato recipe—so rather than pouring in the full amount of cream and butter specified, as you would with baking a cake or something, add them gradually as you mix to ensure you get the texture that you want. And now for my stolen secret—if you taste your mash and you find that you want a little more creaminess in them but are afraid that adding any more actual cream would make the mash too liquid, crack in a room temperature egg and beat it vigorously into the potatoes. The heat of the potatoes will gently bring it up to a safe temperature, gently cooking it, and it not only adds a little creaminess and richness to the mash, but also gives it the potential structure to accept a little more butter or cream.
Another potato that I love for mashing—well, smashing—is little red skin potatoes. These are much waxier than Yukon gold potatoes so, rather than mashing to a perfectly smooth puree, these are best just beaten up a little so there are still some little nubbly bits in there. The best way to achieve this is by just beating them vigorously with the cream and butter using a big, strong wooden spoon straight in the pan. One of the benefits of this is that you don’t have to be terribly patient or present when you’re smacking the potatoes around because there’s no need for them to be smooth—these instruct you, by their nature, to allow them to be lumpy. What’s even better is that you can make these ahead of time; once you’ve got them to the perfect consistency add just a little more cream and butter (say about 2 – 3, and one tablespoons, respectively) so they’re just a little softer. Cool them down, dump them into a casserole dish (mine is about 10” x 6”, but as long as the potatoes aren’t piled higher than around 2” you’ll be fine), and store them in the fridge. Take the dish out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 1 – 2 hours before sliding into a 350° oven for 45 minutes. If you wanted to take the foil off and let them brown a little on the top for 10 minutes that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Given that it’s Thanksgiving time I’m also posting a recipe for my blueprint Perfect Mashed Potatoes and a couple of ways to vary them. I promise, you won’t be disappointed!
* The actual last rule is that you never, ever, ever put them in a food processor or blender. This makes them gluey and gloppy. But I think most people know this by now.
With Thanksgiving coming up I’ve got more post on the way–Don’t miss out on any of them, and follow me on BLOGLOVIN’ & Medium!
- 2 pounds red skin potatoes quartered
- 3 t-spoons kosher salt divided
- 5 - 6 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature
- 1 - 1 1/4 cups heavy cream warmed
- 2 - 3 green onions thinly sliced or minced, or 3 tablespoons finely minced parsley
- 1/2 t-spoon cracked black pepper
- Place the potatoes in a pot large enough to fit them comfortably (4 – 6 quarts), and fill it with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1”. Bring to boil, add in 2 t-spoons salt, simmer 20-25 minutes until fork tender. You really should start the potatoes off in cold water rather than dropping them in an already boiling pot because it ensures that the potatoes cook all the way through; otherwise, putting them in already boiling water cooks the outside of the potatoes very quickly while the inside remains starchy and hard.
- Just before the potatoes time is up start to warm the cream—either in a small saucepan over medium-low heat or in a microwave.
- Once the spuds are tender, drain them out in a colander and shake off any access water.
- Dump the potatoes back into the pot they were in and place back on very low heat. Stir occasionally to cook off any extra moisture that’s clung to the potatoes.
- With a wooden spoon, add in some of the cream and beat vigorously to combine it all. Remember, the final amount of cream that your will add to this will depend on how starchy the potatoes actually are and this can vary from potato to potato, if albeit slightly. Anyway, I would start by adding ½ cup of cream before plopping in a few tablespoons of butter, cut into pads, and continuing to beat them in. Continue to add cream and butter, beating all the while, until you’re happing with the consistency. Remember that these don’t have to be smooth, and in fact, shouldn’t be; they should have some soft, nubbly lumps of potatoes in there.
- Beat in the pepper and minced green onions or parsley. Taste them and see if they need a little more salt and add accordingly.
To make the potatoes ahead, pour in just a little more cream and butter. For me, I usually find that 1 cup plus 1 – 2 tablespoons of cream, plus 5 tablespoons of butter makes the perfect potato consistency here, so to make in advance I add another 2 – 3 tablespoons of cream and 1 tablespoon of butter. Pour the potatoes into a casserole dish (for this quantity of potatoes, I usually use a 10” x 6” x 2” dish) and cool to room temperature. Cover with foil, and refrigerate for up to 1 day. When the time comes to eat the potatoes, take the dish out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 1 – 2 hours. Place in a preheated 350° oven for 45 minutes, covered, before removing the foil and letting it get bubbly and brown on top for 10 minutes, or so.
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6 - 8 | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 15 - 20 minutes |
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What’s more comforting than mashed potatoes? It’s easy to see why, too. These are perfectly creamy, smooth, and buttery. Yukon gold potatoes make these rich-tasting, and smooth.
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- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped into 1" cubes
- About 1/2 cup heavy cream wamred
- About 1/2 cup whole milk warmed
- 6 - 8 tablespoons butter softened and cut into tablespoon-sized pads
- 1 egg room temperature
- 4 - 5 t-spoons kosher salt
- 1 t-spoon cracked black pepper
- Place the potatoes in a large stockpot and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Put over medium-high heat to bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, heavily salt the water with 3 t-spoons (1 tablespoon) of the salt, stir to mix the salt in and let it boil for just a minute before dropping the heat to low and simmering, uncovered, for 15 – 20 minutes. The potatoes should be VERY fork-tender (meaning, when poked with a fork and lifted out of the water, they slide off effortlessly).
- When the potatoes have about 5 minutes left put the milk and cream in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, until scalding.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander and shake them dry. Add them back to the pan and put back over medium heat just for a minute or two to help dry them out.
- Turn the heat off and, with a potato masher or hand mixer, stir, beat or mash the potatoes with a little vigor and force, slowly pouring in a generous splosh of the scalded milk and cream. Once some of the cream has incorporated into the potatoes, plop in a tablespoon of butter and continue to beat in until its melted, seamlessly, into the potatoes. Continue this alteration until you reach the consistency you want.
- If the potatoes are at the consistency you want but feel like they need a little more creaminess and richness, crack in the egg and beat everything vigorously to incorporate it into the potatoes. This also works if you feel like they need a little more fluff—though do use the mixer or whisk to help incorporate a little more air.
- Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
INSPIRATION & VARIATIONS ON PERFECT MASHED POTATOES FOR ANY OCCASION
Baked Mashed Potatoes
Add an additional 2 tablespoons - ¼ cup or so of cream to the potatoes (just enough to loosen them a bit) and turn into a buttered casserole dish (something where the potatoes aren’t piled higher than about 2”). Bake at 350° for 20 – 25 minutes. Brush the top with approx. 2 tablespoons melted butter, turn the heat to 450° and bake just another 10 – 15 minutes, until golden brown on top.
Scallion Mashed Potatoes
My maternal grandma made this all the time when I was growing up. It’s simple but you can’t argue with its instant calming affects. After draining the potatoes, melted 2 (additional) tablespoons of butter in the pot. Finely slice the white parts only of 6 green onions and sauté in the butter until soft and slightly caramelized – about 2 – 3 minutes. Add the potatoes in and follow the standard recipe above. Fold in the green parts of the scallions, finely sliced, and serve.
You could also add a few t-spoons of prepared horseradish to this variation to serve along side some good steak or medium-rare roasted tenderloin to harken the affect of prime rib and horseradish.
Cheddar-Chive Mashed Potatoes
To the original recipe, add 2 smashed cloves of garlic to the potatoes in the water while they cook. Once cooked, drained and dried, add the original amount of cream along with ½ cup full-fat sour cream (in place of whole milk). Replace 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of jarred, frozen bacon fat (which, I guess, is optional but highly recommended). Stir in ¼ - 1/3 cup minced chives and a heaping cup of shredded extra sharp cheddar. Check for seasoning – it may need a few more pinches of salt and pepper – and serve. You could certainly cook up some bacon, too – that never hurts.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Cut the very top off a head of garlic, coat liberally in olive oil and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Place into the oven and set for 350°. Roast for about an hour once the oven comes up to temperature. Put 2 cloves of minced garlic in with the potatoes and water. Follow the standard recipe. Squeeze the roasted garlic from the bulb onto a cutting board and smash with the flat of your knife, mincing and smashing to work into a paste. Add to the potatoes with the cream, milk and butter and serve.
You can also add Parmesan with some minced parsley, rosemary and/or thyme.