Written by Kate Tietje
Mashed potatoes are yummy. Truly. I have spent years trying to make really amazing ones. When I grew up, my mom made them with skim milk. They’re really not very good that way, not to mention not very healthy (use whole milk at a minimum!). But now I have good mashed potatoes, so I have to share.
Don’t be insulted by the very step-by-step directions. If you’re an amazing real foodie, you can just take the basic suggestions and run with it. New to cooking with real food? This should hopefully help you to make truly awesome mashed potatoes!
If you don’t have cream, you can use whole milk. If you can’t do dairy, coconut milk and coconut oil work well too. Cream is best, though, if you can do it! So delicious and healthy, too (the fat helps the starch not to spike your blood sugar).
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 4 – 6 medium potatoes (peeled if desired)
- 4 tbsp. butter (learn to make your own butter)
- 1/2 – 1 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Step 1: Wash your potatoes. You can peel them first if you want — I don’t always. Skins are good for you.
Step 2: Chop the potatoes into large chunks.
Step 3: Put the potatoes into a saucepan — use a 4-quart saucepan if you’re doing a good-sized batch so there’s plenty of room for water.
Step 4: Next, fill the pot up with water and add about a teaspoon of sea salt.
Step 5: Boil the potatoes on medium-high heat until soft. You can tell if you stick a fork or a knife into them and it goes in easily. You don’t want to boil too long, because some varieties will fall apart, and you’ll end up with starchy, gluey mashed potatoes, and no one wants that. It should take 15 – 20 minutes of boiling for them to be done.
Step 6: Drain the potatoes, then mash the potatoes. I use a hand masher to do this. You can also use a hand mixer, if you prefer.
Step 7: Add the butter to the potatoes and let it melt.
Step 8: Stir it together and add the cream, a little at a time, until it is smooth and creamy. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.
Yummy!
If you want, you can make gravy to serve with it. You could also add some cheese to it, or some fresh-chopped chives. It all depends on what you enjoy.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4-6 medium potatoes
- 4 tbsp. butter
- 1/2-1 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash your potatoes. You can peel them first if you want.
- Chop the potatoes into large chunks.
- Put the potatoes into a saucepan — use a 4-quart saucepan if you’re doing a good-sized batch so there’s plenty of room for water.
- Next, fill the pot up with water and add about a teaspoon of sea salt.
- Boil the potatoes on medium-high heat until soft. You can tell if you stick a fork or a knife into them and it goes in easily. It should take 15 – 20 minutes of boiling for them to be done.
- Drain the potatoes, then mash the potatoes. I use a hand masher to do this. You can also use a hand mixer, if you prefer.
- Add the butter to the potatoes and let it melt.
- Add the butter to the potatoes and let it melt.
I never realized how special homemade mashed potatoes were until I went to college. One night, I was peeling and cutting potatoes and my roommate asked me what I was doing. When I told her, she replied that she always thought the only way to make mashed potatoes was from a box. I was shocked – and quickly taught her how to make fresh, delicious potatoes!
Homemade mashed potatoes are so delicious – the ultimate comfort food for me! I prepare them using much the same recipe, but when I mash them I add two whole heads of roasted garlic. It may seem like a lot, but roasting the garlic carmelizes and sweetens it – and makes an amazing addition to the potatoes!
Here is how I roast the garlic: take two whole heads of garlic and cut the very tops off so that the bulbs are still in the cloves, but exposed. Place them on two sheets thick of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Use the foil to create a sealed tent around the garlic and roast in an oven (or toaster oven) at 425 for 35-40 mns. When cooled a bit, just squeeze the roasted cloves out of the skins and into the potatoes – mash as usual.
I like to make mine with buttermilk instead of regular milk or cream. I love the tang that it gives them.
I always use red potatoes if I can. I always leave the skin on. I also use whole milk often because I don't usually have cream in the house. I almost always add some garlic powder and onion powder or chives and some shredded cheese. I never measure anything. 🙂
It's a delicious way to make mashed potatoes that don't need gravy.
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