Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Sound the alarm! It’s the first ever SAVOURY entry into the My Favourites category on Planet Byn! Get ready, because it’s time for 1,000 words on everyone’s beloved side dish: Mashed Potatoes.

For some reason, I loathe making mashed potatoes. It’s one of my most dreaded kitchen tasks. I get irrationally annoyed every time I have to do it, which is weird, because I LOVE eating mashed potatoes and they’re an essential part of my holiday plate. I’m just always stressed that someone will find a rogue lump of unmashed potato in the middle of dinner.

For something so (seemingly) simple, there’s also so much that can go wrong. Not only the aforementioned lumps, but mashed potatoes can also be too dry (easily remedied with a heavy handed pour of gravy), or too wet (and there’s no turning back if this happens). I also, without fail, can never remember how many potatoes equal how many servings, which drives me crazy.

The solution is to finally document everything here, because even though mashed potatoes are #basic, people have a LOT of opinions about them and they have the potential to make or break your Thanksgiving (or Christmas, or Easter) dinner dreams.

Here are my keys to success:

  • Rice or Die – A ricer is a large kitchen tool that looks like a gigantic garlic press. You press your cooked potatoes through it, eliminating all possibility of lumps. I used to get so stressed when I used a masher because I require my mashed potatoes to be super smooth. When you use the ricer, there’s no stress that someone’s going to find a big chunk of unmashed potato on their plate. To be totally honest, the ricer is kind of a pain to use and clean, but it’s 100% worth it for the outcome.
  • Yukon Golds or Bust – You must, must use Yukon Gold (or other yellow-fleshed) potatoes for mashed potatoes. In my opinion this is the best potato for smooth and creamy mashed potatoes.
  • Don’t Over Add – I can’t even talk about this because it grosses me out so much. Let’s just say that when you scoop your mashed potatoes onto your plate and they start to spread out, you’ve added a bit too much to them. I’m going to talk below about the only two things you need to add.

The final key is to find a good recipe. Now I know people have been making these for 100 years without a recipe, but I’m not that person. I need defined ratios to follow, because if I try to wing it, I’ll fail. For the past few years I was using another recipe, but it had too many add-ins (sour cream, whipping cream, butter) and required grating cheese, which is another kitchen task I loathe. For my Golden Globe meal this year, I tried a new recipe and this is all I’ll use going forward. I learned two NEW keys to success from this recipe:

  • Butter & Cream – The only things you need to add are Butter & Cream, but you must warm them first. I don’t know the science behind this, but for some reason, if you melt the butter and cream together and they’re warm when you add them, it results in the most creamy potatoes you’ve ever had. I also add only HALF the suggested amount in the recipe, due to my established fear of runny/wet/soupy potatoes. This worked perfectly for my tastes.
  • Yield – This is the main motivation for writing this post. I could NEVER remember how many potatoes to bring home, and always ended up over or under buying. After making this recipe, I’m here to definitively state that you need 1/2 lb of potatoes per person. And don’t forget to factor in your leftovers! I made this recipe with 2 lbs of potatoes and it was perfect for the three of us, plus leftovers for me the next day. I’m following this ratio for LIFE now, and I’m looking forward to never worrying again about if I should bring home the 5lb or 10lb bag of Yukon Golds from the grocery store.

Alright there we have it! Now I’m craving mashed potatoes!

My Favourite Mashed Potatoes

Source: Brown Eyed Baker

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (that will fit in your ricer!)
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp 1/2 & 1/2 cream
  • up to 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Place your potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with water (you can actually do this up to a day in advance! This is the best tip from my Mom!). Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, add the butter and cream to a small saucepan and heat on low.
  3. Drain the potatoes, and then press them through your ricer into a large bowl. Add the warm butter/cream mixture and stir until smooth and combined. Add the salt (I add 1 tsp first, taste and keep going if it needs it) and pepper and stir again.
  4. I usually make these a day ahead of time – just add them to a serving dish, cover with foil and keep in the fridge. Reheat in a 350° oven for about 30 mins before your meal.