Buttery, comforting and versatile mashed potatoes. A basic dish done right. Fluffy goodness to serve alongside, on top of and under things ☺️
Mashed potatoes are so simple to make
- cook peeled and chopped potatoes until tender.
- allow them to air dry in a colander set over the (still hot) pan.
- mash while still warm
- pour over hot milk combined with melted butter and seasoning. Combine well.
Convenient to make ahead
Make the mash. Cover closely with plastic wrap so that it doesn’t dry out. Keep in the fridge for up to three days. When ready to serve, microwave the mash to heat it through.
Mashed potatoes are easy to scale up
Feeding a crowd? Allow 1-2 medium potatoes per person (around 200g). Weigh your peeled potatoes and make a note of the weight. After boiling, steaming and mashing, add 10% of this weight of butter e.g. 50g butter for 500g potatoes. Add 20% milk. e.g.. 100g/ml milk for 500g potatoes. Season to taste (about 1 teaspoon of salt per 1kg of potatoes (plus extra for the boiling water) is about right.
🥘 Ingredients
Potatoes
There are so many good options for varieties. The ones you can get will depend on where you live. Any of the following will be fine. There will be many others not included here that will work great too. You’re looking for a potato variety with a high starch and low water content. Very waxy varieties (the type you might use in a potato salad) won’t work so well. The common brushed dirt variety you find in your local supermarket are usually your best bet. Or ask your local greengrocer what they recommend for mash.
Sebago – (common in Australia)
King Edward (UK)
Russett (US)
Other than these popular choices, you can try (in no particular order) -
Yukon Gold (naturally creamy with a slightly sweet and buttery flavour)
Dutch Creams
Desiree (pinkish-red skin and light-yellow flesh)
Nicola (on the waxy side with a lower starch content. Results in a stickier, denser mash)
Kestrel
Red Delight
Golden Delight
Coliban
Red Rascal.
White Pepper – (I forgot to include it in the photo; sorry!). A more subtle and nuanced flavour than black pepper (it’s the inside part of a black peppercorn). White pepper maintains the creamy, golden colour of mashed potatoes without dark specks.
Salt – necessary! Season to taste. The amount here is a guideline.
🔪 Instructions
We peel the potatoes and cut them into even chunks for even cooking. The size isn’t too important. Bigger chunks will take longer to soften than smaller ones. Very small pieces will get waterlogged. They might break apart too easily before getting them into the masher. Somewhere in the middle!
Mashing potatoes that are not cooked until soft does not make them soft. Don't rush the simmering step. Mashing potatoes that are still a bit hard will result in ‘bitty’, grainy mash. A skewer or fork should pass easily through the potato without any resistance. Don’t overcook the potatoes to the point they’re turning to mush in the pan though.
We want the potatoes to be as dry as possible before adding the milk and butter so that we don’t water these down. Allow them to steam dry for a while after draining to get rid of excess water. Set the potatoes in a colander over the pan they simmered in.
Mash warm potatoes for a creamier result. Don’t let them cool down entirely. Mash, don’t blend!
Do NOT use a handheld mixer, blender or food processor. It will activate the starches in the potatoes and make it gluey. Trust me. A ricer (the metal contraption in the first photo below) is great for getting very smooth mash. Any handheld masher will work fine though.
We combine the rest of the ingredients together – milk, butter, salt and pepper. Microwave until the butter is melted and the liquid is hot. Simply pour over the mashed potato and mix together well. A silicone spatula is convenient for this.
Serve straight away or cover closely with plastic wrap and reheat later.
Love potatoes and all its forms? You might like to try -
Potato Stacks - cute individual portions of crispy potato slices.
Roast Potatoes - very crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle perfection.
Twice-Baked Potatoes - BIG whole potatoes baked in their skins (or 'jackets'). We scoop out the insides, mix with butter and cheese and return to the oven to get a bit crispy.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes
- salt
- ½ teaspoon ground white peppercorns
- 200 ml/g whole milk
- 100 g butter
Instructions
- Prep Potatoes – Peel the potatoes and cut into even large chunks.1 kg potatoes
- Simmer – place the potatoes in cold water (enough to generously cover). This will be about 1 ½ litres, but there's no need to measure. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until very tender, but not disintegrating to mush. This will take about 15-20 minutes, depending how small you cut the potatoes.salt
- Drain & Steam – turn off the heat. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then set over the empty still-hot pan to steam dry for a few minutes.
- Mash – while the potatoes are still warm, rice or mash the potatoes and place in a large bowl.
- Milk, Butter, Seasoning – combine the milk, butter, a teaspoon of salt and the pepper in a small bowl/measuring jug. Microwave until melted and hot. Pour over mash and use a silicone spatula to combine well. Serve straight away or cover closely with plastic wrap.salt200 ml/g whole milk100 g butter½ teaspoon ground white peppercorns
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