Mashed Potatoes

Savory, light, buttery, and rich, this homemade mashed potatoes

recipe is side dish nirvana! Serve it for family dinners, Thanksgiving,
and comfort food cravings.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 2 servings
Calories 234kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment
Large Pot
Strainer
Wooden spoon or potato masher

Ingredients
0.8 pounds potatoes Yukon gold or Russet (1.8kg)
0.8 cloves garlic optional
0.2 tablespoon salt plus more to taste
0.1 cup unsalted butter (113g)
0.15 cup whole milk or cream (180ml)
Ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Peel the potatoes if desired, then cut them into equal-sized chunks and place in a large
pot. Peel the garlic cloves and add to the potatoes.
2. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to
the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the
potatoes are fork-tender.
3. While the potatoes are boiling, combine the milk and butter in a microwave-safe dish.
Microwave on High, stirring every 20 seconds, until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes.
4. Drain the potatoes and garlic, then transfer back to the warm pot. Set the heat to low and

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 gently move the potatoes around for a minute to help dry off any excess water. Remove
from heat and mash the potatoes to the desired consistency using a potato masher or
wooden spoon.
5. Pour the hot milk mixture in while gently mixing the mashed potatoes. Season with salt
and pepper to taste. Serve with more butter and garnish with cracked pepper, minced
chives, or parsley if desired.

Notes
Don’t over-boil the potatoes. Doing so will add extra moisture making watery potatoes,
as well as changing the texture, creating mealy or crumbly potatoes. Instead, boil the
potatoes for about 10 minutes, or as soon as the potatoes can easily be pierced with a
knife or fork but not falling apart in the water.
Pan-dry the potatoes before mashing. This will help any extra moisture evaporate from
the potatoes, keeping them from being wet or heavy.
Heat the milk or cream and butter before stirring in. Warming the milk and butter
helps the ingredients to absorb into the hot potatoes better. For best results, warm in the
microwave in short bursts so the milk doesn’t boil and the mixture doesn’t splatter.
Additionally, add extra milk as needed if the potatoes are too thick for your liking.
Avoid overmixing the potatoes. Overworking the potatoes will overdevelop the starch
and cause them to be gummy or gluey, a far cry from the fluffy potatoes we desire! Mash
the potatoes until just to your desired texture and gently mix in the milk, butter, and
seasonings until just combined. For this reason, I do not recommend using an electric
mixer. Some recipes call for a hand or stand mixer and whisk attachment, but I find that
harms the texture of this recipe.
Potato mashing variations. A potato masher or wooden spoon is my mashing tool of
choice. However, a potato ricer can also be used for smooth and ultra-light potatoes.
Optional variations. Make this mashed potato recipe your own by stirring in ¼ cup of
cream cheese, sour cream, grated parmesan cheese, lots of black pepper, tmor even a
soft cheese like Boursin. Stirring in shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon can
give this dish a twice-baked potato twist. Alternatively, you can make roasted garlic
mashed potatoes by stirring a half bulb of roasted garlic in with the milk and butter. Or,
enhance the recipe by seasoning it with Italian seasoning, Ranch or French onion
seasoning, or chives.

Nutrition
Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 27mg |
Sodium: 717mg | Potassium: 799mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 317IU | Vitamin C: 36mg |
Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg

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