Mashed Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is milk or cream better for mashed potatoes? ›

As always, better quality ingredients equals better tasting food. Heavy Cream - While you, hypothetically, could use whole milk or something, I don't recommend it. Part of what makes these the creamiest mashed potatoes is the CREAM! Use the cream, we aren't eating mashed potatoes for our health.

Garlic – For savory depth of flavor. Unsalted butter – For richness and buttery flavor. Milk – It smooths the starchy potatoes into an incredibly creamy mash. Use whole milk for the creamiest results.

If you don't rinse and soak the potatoes in water, all that starch that is naturally in potatoes will cause your mashed potatoes to become gluey and gummy. So rinse and soak the potatoes to remove as much of the starch as possible. The less starch the potatoes have, the fluffier and lighter they will be!

For the very best result every time, always gently warm the butter and milk before adding to the potatoes, rather than adding cold dairy straight from the fridge. Here's why: Warm dairy is absorbed faster and more easily, with less stirring than its cold counterpart.

While you might assume that you can add both in at the same time since everything will be mashed together eventually, the truth is you'll get better mashed potatoes when you mix them in separately. According to The Kitchn, butter should always go before cream.

Runny potatoes can happen for a few different reasons. Too much liquid: This is the most common reason. In the mashing process you may have added too much milk or broth.

There's just something about those velvety smooth, luxuriantly creamy, full-flavored mashed potatoes that have most homemade versions beat beyond comparison. As it turns out, there is a pretty simple reason why steakhouse mashed potatoes are so much better than other versions: They don't skimp on the salt or fat.

Directions. Throw just a pinch of ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda into potatoes while mashing to make them fluffier.

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

Why do you put vinegar in mashed potatoes? ›

The addition of a mildly acidic vinegar to a starchy veggie like potatoes not only deepens the flavor profile, but it also helps to tenderize the tubers.

Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!

The secret ingredient is just ice-cold water.

You soak the potatoes in iced water before they are cooked. This eliminates much of the starches in the potatoes, resulting in a super light and fluffy mash. It's also like when you make rice. The key to fluffy rice is to rinse off as much starch as possible.

Mix up your mashed potato game by adding in other root veggies with your potatoes. Try turnips, parsnips, carrots, or celeriac to give your basic mashed potato recipe a boost of flavor (and a boost in nutrition, too).

After you drain the potatoes, your next step depends on if you are serving the potatoes in a hot or cold recipe. If you intend to enjoy them cold in a potato salad, rinse them with cold water before proceeding to stop them from carryover cooking. Otherwise, for hot dishes, proceed with your recipe.

Once boiling, reduce heat, adjusting as needed to maintain a simmer. Cook potatoes until they offer no resistance when pierced: 10–12 minutes for baby potatoes, 15–20 minutes for small potatoes, or 30–40 minutes for large cubed potatoes. Drain potatoes in a colander and let cool 10 minutes.

Regardless of the technique, remember not to overwork the potatoes. Starch is released when potatoes are mashed, smashed, or whipped, and, if too much starch is released, the potatoes are gummy and unappealing.

While the potatoes are in the oven, warm the butter and milk or cream over the stove until butter is melted. The potatoes will absorb the warm dairy easily and you won't have to overwork the potatoes to get everything smooth.

Ingredients for creamy mashed potatoes

Heavy Cream – This adds to the richness of the perfect potatoes. Crème Fraîche – I love adding something tart so it cuts some of the richness.

So, if you're cooking something forgiving like soup or mashed potatoes, heavy cream and half-and-half are virtually interchangeable in equal amounts, yes—both will give you that creamy texture we all love and crave. Just be mindful that heavy cream contains more fat, so it will taste much richer.

Can I use heavy cream instead of milk? ›

Be careful not to overwhip it, though – too much beating and your heavy cream will turn into butter! You can substitute heavy cream for milk by diluting it with a little water. Use half a cup heavy cream and half a cup water for every cup of whole milk. 1 cup whole milk: combine ½ cup heavy cream and ½ cup water.

"Hold your mashed potatoes in a bain-marie, or water bath, with a lid on top [and] they stay for hours — days really," Ray, who recently partnered with Home Chef, said in an interview with Allrecipes. The method is oh-so-simple. Just make your mashed potatoes according to your favorite recipe.