Perfect Mashed Potatoes (with so many tips and tricks for perfect potatoes every time!)
I honestly haven’t been good at making mashed potatoes for all that long. The past about 1.5 years I’ve read a lot on what makes good mashed potatoes and have also made a lot of different kinds of mashed potatoes, a lot of different ways and have found a combination of what has been fail-proof for me. I hope it will also be fail proof for you and that you’ll feel confident that you can make perfect mashed potatoes every time! No more glue-like potatoes, no more chunks, no more water-logged potatoes.
Make sure you read all the notes on the recipe for the best results and to understand why each of the tips are important.
Make this simple and easy chicken gravy to with it! If you want a flavored mashed potatoes try these garlic red mashed potatoes!
PrintPerfect Mashed Potatoes (so many tips and tricks for perfect potatoes every time!)
Anything but perfect and fluffy mashed potatoes are a thing of the past if you try this recipe and read all the tips and tricks!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 30 minutes inactive time)
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes (plus 30 minutes inactive time)
- Yield: Serves about 6-8 1x
Ingredients
5– 5.5 pounds of russet potatoes
2–3 tablespoons salt for the water
1 cup butter
½ cup cream
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Wash, peel, and chop your potatoes into 2-inch chunks. Place the potatoes in a big pot of cold water and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. Empty water and replace with new cold water till it covers the potatoes completely. Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt and stir a bit. Put the pot on the stove over medium high heat and cover. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium and uncover. Cook the potatoes till a fork goes into easily, but don’t over-cook, about 10-15 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and cream. Heat in 30 second increments till the mixture starts to steam.
Strain the potatoes in a large colander.
If using a hand potato masher or an electric hand mixer– pour 1/3 of the heated butter mixture on the bottom of the pot you cooked the potatoes in, then half the cooked potatoes. Pour the next 1/3 of the heated butter mixture over the potatoes followed by the remaining potatoes then the remaining heated butter mixture. Mash/mix potatoes till everything is combined. Don’t over mash/mix.
If using a potato ricer– pour 1/3 of the heated butter mixture on the bottom of the pot you cooked the potatoes in. Rice half the potatoes and then pour another 1/3 of the heated butter mixture over the potatoes. Rice the second half and pour the remaining heated butter mixture. Stir with a big spoon till combined. It won’t take much stirring, don’t over stir!
Season with extra salt and pepper to taste. Serve with your favorite gravy.
Notes
Don’t cut your potatoes small! Cutting them small will allow more water to get inside them making your end result more watered down.
Soaking your potatoes in cold water before cooking removes excess starch, allowing your end result to be more fluffy than glue-like.
Don’t ever boil water before adding your potatoes to the water. Start with cold water with the potatoes in the water and heat it on the stove from there. If you add potatoes to boiling water the outside of the potatoes will be cooked far before the inside leaving you with unevenly cooked potatoes.
Heavily salting the water you cook the potatoes in will make for perfectly seasoned potatoes!
Warming up your cream and butter is super easy and is a tiny detail that makes a HUGE difference in the end result! Don’t skip!
If you have a potato ricer, use it! If you don’t own a potato ricer and like random kitchen gadgets, this is a pretty cheap one that will up your mashed potato game to pro level!
I made these today for Thanksgiving and they were perfect! I did a 50/50 spilt of russet and Yukon gold but the flavor from the salted water, butter, and cream made these the best potatoes I have ever made!
I’m so glad they were a hit!