Yes really. I will go ahead and say it… these mashed potatoes are perfect. They are velvety smooth and yet so incredibly light and fluffy. The absolute epitome of comfort food. I will share my tricks with you… but I’m warning you. Don’t make these for any family gathering unless you want to be in charge of making them for every holiday for eternity. Which I don’t mind. And yes… I packed my potato ricer when we went back to Texas for Christmas because I knew that I’d be making them. And of course, there were none left.
I will say this again – this recipe is for a light and fluffy and extremely smooth mashed potato. So there are some tricks to getting them that way.
First.
Let’s talk type of potato. I used good old fashioned russet. The size doesn’t matter as long as you chop them equally. Skins? Absolutely not. It helps to thoroughly peel the potatoes. Like hardly any brown spots on them at all. How many? Doesn’t really matter, as long as you have a pot big enough to cover them with at least 3 inches of water. For holidays, I have boiled two pots before instead of cramming a ton in one massively huge pot. You want them cut evenly, able to be covered with plenty of water, and you want to be able to stir them around in the pot. In any case, my pot usually fits about 6 medium sized russet potatoes, which makes way more mashed potatoes than our family of four can eat… which means plenty of delicious leftovers!
Second.
It helps to cut them into as equally sized pieces as possible that aren’t too big but not too small either. Doesn’t have to be perfect here, but as equally sized as you can get.
Third. After you have your cubes, put them in an empty pot and cover them with very cool water. Aim for about 2-3 inches of water above the line of potatoes. Starting off with cool water = clutch.
Fourth.
Salt your water. This is sooooo important. I’m talking about A LOT of salt. 5-7 tablespoons would be about right. I know it sounds like a lot. It is. You’ll be ok. I promise. I use coarse kosher salt.
Fifth.
Bring the potatoes up to a slow sloow sloooooww boil. I don’t know why. It just works. Trust me. Leave it on low-medium-low for at least 20-25 minutes and then crank up the heat a little more until it reaches a very slow rolling boil. Nobody wants a rapid aggressive boil. We’re not going to shock the potatoes – we want to lovingly coax them into becoming something amazing. Overall cooking time here depends… you want a fork tender tator. What exactly does this mean… Take a cube out. You should be able to pierce through it with a fork with very little resistance.
Sixth. VERY IMPORTANT!
We’ve all heard of saving the pasta water…. why would potato water be any different????? As your potatoes are about ready, scoop out and save about one cup of the potato water. We do this with pasta… why not potatoes. Set that aside. Leave your potatoes on the heat – if they are done, you can turn the heat off, but don’t drain them until you have the milk and butter ready. We’re going to work with the heat of the potato not against it. So as soon as you have some of the water reserved, get ready for the next step.
Seventh.
Melt one and a half sticks of butter with one cup of milk. Yes. Seriously. One and a half sticks of butter. I know. Get over it. You may not use all of the melty milky liquid because your potatoes may be bigger or littler than mine and this is a judgment call here, but we need to be ready. Melt your milk and butter it until it warmed through. You aiming for warm to almost hot. Again… we don’t want to shock the potatoes with the cold milk or butter.
Eighth.
Here’s where you have to start working quickly, so you want to make sure you have your potato ricer handy, your potato water, and your melted butter and milk mixture. Drain the potatoes and then using a large spoon, scoop the potatoes into the potato ricer and squeeze back into the same pot. If you don’t have a potato ricer, draining the potatoes and using a masher will work fine… I love the extra smooth consistency that my potato ricer gives though. If you don’t have one, here’s a link to find one on Amazon.
Ninth.
Once you have all of the potatoes riced or mashed, slowly drizzle the melted butter and milk mixture and stir. Then pour in some of the potato water. You’ll have to use your best judgment as to how light and fluffy you want you potatoes. I usually use almost all of the milk/butter mixture and about half of the potato water if I am using 5 pretty large potatoes. I sincerely believe that the potato water and the warmed butter/milk mixture is what makes the ideal smooth and fluffy mashed potatoes.
Tenth.
Once you have this smooth velvety potato mixture, sprinkle generously with more kosher salt and a good spreading of freshly ground black pepper. Don’t be shy with the butter… at this point, I like to add a pat of butter or 2 to the top before covering or serving. Cooking the perfect mashed potatoes is all about using the right potatoes, achieving the ideal texture, and seasoning to perfection. With these simple steps, you can create a comforting side dish that will have everyone at the table reaching for seconds. Whether you’re preparing them for a special occasion or just a cozy night in, these mashed potatoes are sure to become a family favorite. Enjoy!
