How to Make Mashed Potatoes

I can practically eat mashed potatoes with every meal. When you look for mashed potatoes recipes, you will come across never ending arguments, about how long should the potatoes be cooked, whether you should peel the potatoes before you cook them, should the liquid be reserved, etc. According to me the only argument, which really needs thought is the type of potato, that should be used to for making the perfect mashed potatoes. Some people will recommend, that you use Yukon Gold potatoes instead of Russet potatoes to make the desirable creamy mashed potatoes. There are people, who will recommend the use of Russet potatoes, as they taste better and also mash better. These potatoes are said to be high in starch and low in water, therefore are the best to make mashed potatoes. However, there is a drawback to these potatoes. When they are cooked in water, they tend to disintegrate, whereas when they are cooked in dry heat, they tend to crumble. On the other hand, Yukon Gold potatoes are almost 50% starch and 50% water. Therefore, when they are cooked they are moist, fluffy and also they do not dry up when they are baked. We now see, how to make different ways of making mashed potatoes from scratch.

How to Make Mashed Potatoes from Scratch

Now that we have established, that Yukon Gold potatoes are the better than the other potatoes to for making mashed potatoes. So we will use the same in our mashed potatoes recipes as well. These recipes are boiled mashed potatoes.

Recipe # 1

Ingredients

• Yukon Gold potatoes 1 ½ lbs
• Salt ½ teaspoon
• Cream 4 tablespoons
• Butter 2 tablespoons
• Milk 1 tablespoon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Peel the potatoes and quarter them length wise.
• Put them in a saucepan and ½ teaspoon of salt.
• Now add water till the potatoes are completely immersed in water.
• Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and let them simmer, covered for 15 to 20 minutes, till they are completely done.
• Warm the cream and melt the butter together in a pan.
• Drain water from potatoes and place them in a bowl.
• Add the melted butter and cream mixture to the potatoes and using a masher mash the potatoes, till they are fluffy.
• You will have to use a strong spoon to beat the potatoes further.
• Now you will notice, that the mixture is getting thicker, add milk to the mixture to achieve the desired consistency.
• Once the potatoes are well mashed and beaten, add salt and pepper as per taste and serve creamy mashed potatoes.

Recipe # 2

Ingredients

• Potatoes 6 medium size
• Hot milk ¼ cup
• Butter 2 tablespoons
• Salt as per taste
• Freshly ground pepper as per taste

Method

• Clean the potatoes and peel them. Make 2 inch chunks and place them in a large pot of salted water to make instant mashed potatoes.
• The potato chunks should be covered with water
• Cover the pot and let them cook for 15 minutes, till they are well cooked and break easily, when they are pierced with a fork.
• Once they are done, drain the potatoes and leave them aside.
• Add hot milk in smaller quantities and butter to the potatoes.
• Mash the potatoes with a masher and add the remaining quantity of milk and butter to the potatoes
• Once they are well mashed, add salt and pepper as per taste and serve mashed potatoes.

You now know the recipe for making mashed potatoes. A few parting tips. Warming the milk, before you add it to the potatoes will give you the best creamy mashed potatoes. Alternatively, you can drain the potatoes and add milk to it and bring it to a boil, before you mash the potatoes. If you like the herbal version of mashed potatoes, then you can add the herbs of your choice, when you add salt and pepper. My favorite is garlic mashed potatoes. You can add basil, parsley, thyme, chopped chives to the mashed potatoes to give them a unique flavor.