I don’t mess around with mashed potatoes. Shake it up somewhere else on the menu, but not here. I don’t want skins mixed in. No garlic or scallions or chives, no cream cheese or sour cream, certainly not a sneaky substitute of mashed cauliflower or parsnips. Just the creamiest, fluffiest cloud of buttery, soft potatoes. The classic.
Mashed potatoes aren’t just for Thanksgiving. I used to think of them as a special-occasion dish, kind of a big deal to make, intimidating even. But just like a lot of things in life, the more often you do it the easier it gets. John is mashed potato addict, he gets so excited when I make them, so I wouldn’t be so stingy as to make them only once a year.
I do understand where the anxiety comes from. It’s the challenge of mashing out the lumps without overworking the potatoes and making them gluey. The simple answer to that problem is the gadget shown below: a ricer.
If you don’t have one, get one. It makes the mashing of the potatoes quick and easy, but that’s only the beginning. Just wait until you take a spoonful of these fluffy, soft, silky-smooth potatoes and feel them practically dissolve on your tongue.
A couple of quick notes on ingredients:
- For the potatoes, use any thin-skinned, waxy-fleshed variety. Basic, white-fleshed potatoes may have red or light brown skins. Yukon Golds also make great mashed potatoes. Just make sure to avoid baking potatoes such as russets.
- For the liquid, use whole milk. Mashed potatoes are not the place for low-fat substitutes, you want the richness of whole milk. But don’t go overboard and use cream – it’s too rich and thick and will give your potatoes a gummy consistency.
- With the butter, don’t be shy. Two tablespoons per pound of potatoes may sound like a lot. But see my last tip, above: if you’re going to make mashed potatoes, make the best ones you can possibly make, or else why bother. If you really want to cut back on the butter, I suppose I can’t stop you – using the ricer and the rest of the technique described below will still result in superior mashed potatoes. But I recommend you try them with the full amount.
And one more note on the technique:
- I use two tools for achieving the fluffiest texture. I pass the potatoes through the ricer first, and then beat in the butter and milk with a hand-held mixer. Be careful with the mixer – there won’t be any lumps left after ricing, so a minute or two on medium speed is all you need to blend all the ingredients. Don’t overwork them. You can skip the mixer and use a whisk for the last step if you prefer.
Making these ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- I used to think mashed potatoes couldn’t be made ahead. I remember my grandmother standing over the hot stove in the last moments before Thanksgiving dinner, mashing furiously with steam rising in her face. With everything else going on in those last few chaotic minutes before the big meal…what a nightmare. Here’s what you do instead:
- Start making the mashed potatoes up to three hours before dinner. Once they’re mashed and seasoned and ready to go, leave them in the pot and cover the pot. Set them aside at room temperature.
- When the turkey comes out of the oven it needs to rest for at least 30 minutes, right? Lower the oven temperature to 300 and put the covered pot of potatoes in, along with anything else you made ahead that needs to reheat. (If you’re serving the potatoes with some other main dish that doesn’t need to rest, stick the potatoes in the oven right alongside the other dish. At 350 to 400 degrees, the potatoes will reheat in 15 minutes.
- When ready to serve, use a whisk or a big spoon to give the potatoes a vigorous stir, to lighten and revive them. If they’ve dried out in the oven, add a little bit more milk and beat by hand to get them to your desired texture.
- Leftover mashed potatoes can be reheated in the oven as described above, or in the microwave. You may need to add a little more milk to return them to their silky texture. Or repurpose them into potato pancakes, or as the topping for a shepherd’s pie.
Mashed Potatoes
November 19, 2020
: 6 to 8
Ingredients
- 3 pounds waxy-fleshed, thin-skinned potatoes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for serving
- ¾ to 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or 3/8 teaspoon Morton’s), or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Peel the potatoes and cut them into large chunks. I cut average-sized potatoes into three chunks each, very large potatoes in quarters, and smaller ones in half. Aim to have all the potatoes in pieces roughly the same size so they cook evenly. As you peel and cut, drop the potatoes into a large saucepan half-filled with cold water. When you’re done, adjust the level of water so that the potatoes are all submerged and covered with about 1 inch of water. Season the water with kosher salt.
- Step 2 Heat the pan over high heat just until the water comes to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium-high. Boil the potatoes until they’re soft all the way through but not falling apart, adjusting the heat throughout the cooking time as needed to maintain the water at a gentle boil. The potatoes are done when a fork slides easily into the center of a potato with no resistance. Depending on the size of the chunks of potato, this should take anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes.
- Step 3 During the last couple of minutes of cooking the potatoes, heat the milk in the microwave for 1 minute. (This isn’t necessary if you’re making the potatoes ahead and are going to be reheating them later.)
- Step 4 Drain the potatoes into a colander. Put the empty saucepan on a kitchen towel or cutting board next to the sink. Use a slotted spoon to pick up a spoonful of potatoes and transfer them to the bowl of a ricer. Rice the potatoes into the saucepan. Continue ricing all of the potatoes and letting them fall into the saucepan.
- Step 5 Add 6 tablespoons of the softened butter to the potatoes, and beat the butter and potatoes together with a hand-held mixer on low speed, until the butter is melted and combined with the potatoes. Add about ½ cup of the milk, beating on medium speed until combined. Add another ¼ cup of milk, the salt and pepper, and beat until smooth. If the potatoes look dry, or if you plan to let them cool and reheat them later, add a little bit more of the milk, until you reach your desired consistency, but don’t let the potatoes get soupy. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Step 6 Serve immediately with an additional pat of soft butter on top, or cover the pot and let the potatoes sit for up to 2 hours at room temperature, then reheat, covered, at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
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