Mashed potatoes are a simple food. But you might need tips for making the best mashed potatoes. Because if you’ve ever made a simple food before, you know that simple is anything but, especially when that food creates such strong emotional connections to the people eating it. When you’re working with just potatoes, salt, butter, and cream, the little things matter. You might have already picked up our recipe for no-boil mashed potatoes, but if you're a traditionalist, here are our easy tips for making the best mashed potatoes.
1. Use Yukon Gold Potatoes
They are the best potatoes for mashing. Full stop.
2. Boil Your Potatoes in Large Pieces
If you cut them small, it gives water more of an opportunity to make its way inside the potatoes. More water means more liquid and less flavor in the final product. If you really want to protect your potatoes from water, boil them with the skins on and remove them after the potatoes have cooked. Again, if you want to do those no-boil mashed potatoes, this advice obviously does not apply. (Read more about how long to boil potatoes in our guide.)
3. Keep Your Potatoes Hot
If you want a truly creamy taste and texture, you can’t let the potatoes cool before mashing—you want to start getting busy with them as soon as possible after they've been boiled and drained. But hey, we don’t want burned hands, right? Right. Use your dish gloves to handle them right out of the pot, and get mashing like you’re some kind of professional masher or something.
4. Add Fat First
You need to add fat (in this case it better be butter) to potatoes before adding any liquid. This makes sure the texture of the potato remains firm before being softened by all that cream.
5. Taste Constantly
If you only salt once in this process, your mashed potatoes will suffer. Reassess after adding each ingredient, making sure the seasoning hasn’t gotten diluted. You're going to need to use plenty of salt—starchy and fatty foods need a lot of it to really sing, so make it rain.
6. Don’t Add Your Liquid All at Once
Think of it like trying to chug a beer instead of sipping it—some of it will spill or dribble down your chin. Same goes for the spuds. Your potatoes won’t be able to absorb all of that liquid at once. Working in smaller pours helps them soak up all that creaminess, avoiding liquid-y mashed potatoes.
7. Infuse Your Fat With Aromatics
Feeling ambitious? We’re very proud of you. While you’re boiling the potatoes, you can throw your cream on the stove with some thyme, rosemary, garlic, or whatever other aromatics you enjoy. Simmering the cream on low heat will infuse that flavor directly into the liquid. Strain it after you’re done and ditch the aromatics to keep the texture of the mashed potatoes pure.
Simple might be easy. Simple might be scary. But regardless, a food as simple as mashed potatoes are going to be a hell of a lot better if you make the right moves. Sweat the small stuff. It matters.