Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Make eating together with your family fun and enjoyable with the best side dish, Mashed Potatoes!

It is exactly what its name is; the potatoes are boiled and mashed until creamy and soft, which feels like it melts in your mouth. With the right spices, this side dish tastes so much better.

You can serve Mashed Potatoes with your favorite main dishes, especially those with meat and vegetables. It’s a healthy recipe that you can serve for weekends or Thanksgiving!

classic mashed potatoes

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Potatoes are now made tastier than ever. What better way to have the best time with your family than with good food, right?

How to Make Mashed Potatoes

Today, you will find out why Mashed Potatoes are some of the easiest side dishes you can make at home. It takes less than 30 minutes to make but the memory of the flavor lasts forever!

Ingredients

Going on a grocery trip? Remember to list these down for Mashed Potatoes!

Potatoes

In this recipe, you will transform potatoes into a totally new dish. They are mildly sweet, starchy, and creamy vegetables with low sugar content.

You can steam, bake, or fry for better flavor and texture. It’ll also have a tender texture once boiled until tender. Kids and adults will surely love them in their meals.

UC Davis Health shared that potatoes are great sources of nutrients for your heart, muscles, bones, and digestion. They’re also rich in vitamins and minerals for immunity and eye health.

For more potato recipes, I suggest making Meat Pie, High-Protein Beans, and Chicken Pie. What are your favorite potato recipes at home?

fluffy mashed potatoes ingredients

According to Bon Appetit, Yukon Gold potatoes are one of the best kinds of potatoes for this recipe. I also suggest Maris Pipper and Russet potatoes because of their buttery quality.

Garlic

Get the real Mashed Potatoes experience with the added flavor of garlic. It’s one of the best spices to use for this dish because of how pungent, spicy, and nutty it tastes.

Once cooked into the dish, the garlic will have a buttery quality that goes with the potatoes. Even its fragrance will leave you wanting more every time.

Milk

You will need two kinds of milk for this recipe: fresh milk and evaporated milk. Their combination will make the potatoes taste and feel better as you eat.

The moisture from these milks will also fuse the ingredients together for a well-combined flavor. Moreover, the milk will give the dish its signature creamy quality.

Salted butter

Mashed Potatoes taste so much better with salted butter. It adds richness to the flavor and consistency of the dish. Even the aroma of the butter makes the potatoes more appetizing.

As alternatives, ordinary butter, and buttermilk are good options to try. Don’t forget to add salted butter because it will take the potatoes to the next level.

Seasoning

You can use different herbs and spices for this simple dish. If you want to keep it simple, then I suggest going for salt and black pepper.

fluffy mashed potatoes prep

Whether it’s a holiday or a regular day, you can make amazing Mashed Potatoes. Make Thanksgiving and holidays better by preparing this dish for them!

Directions

Grab your masher, and let’s smash this Mashed Potatoes recipe together! 

Prepare the potatoes

  1. Use a knife to peel and cut the potatoes into wedges.
  2. Rinse and drain.
  3. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
  4. Then, add the potato wedges and garlic cloves.
  5. Cook the potatoes until soft and tender.
  6. Drain the water with a colander

Mash them!

  1. Put the cooked potatoes in a pot on medium-low heat.
  2. Season with sea salt.
  3. Pour in the fresh milk and evaporated milk – the secret ingredient.
  4. Then, add the salted butter.
  5. Use a masher to mash everything together until fluffy, smooth, and creamy.
  6. Garnish with black pepper and serve!
fluffy mashed potatoes

Just look at the soft texture – it’s so moist and rich that it almost feels like heaven to eat. Even the taste is the perfect mix of sweet and salty flavors.

Trust me, Mashed Potatoes are a must-try!

Tips

Potatoes

Buying potatoes
  • Look for ones with smooth and clean skin.
  • They should also feel firm to the touch without cuts, cracks, or bruises.
  • Avoid potatoes with wrinkled areas and green spots. 
Storing potatoes
  • Do not wash the potatoes when you store them.
  • AllRecipes suggests storing them in a cool area at room temperature for up to two months.
  • Placing them on the counter can make them last up to two weeks. 
  • Love Food Hate Waste suggests storing cooked potatoes in the fridge for two days or in the freezer for three months. 
best potatoes mashed potatoes

Mashed Potatoes Variations

The best potatoes to use for mashed potatoes include Yukon Gold, Maris Pipper, Russet, and King Edward. They’re also naturally tasty, creamy, and soft for a real mashed potato recipe. 

To make this dish vegan, replace fresh and evaporated milk with soy, coconut, almond, oat, or other non-dairy milk. There are also plenty of vegan butter options you can buy in grocery stores. 

You can also add cream cheese, chives, green onions, sour cream, thyme, mixed herbs, nutmeg, and other spices for better flavor. How do you make your Mashed Potatoes special?

Mashed Potatoes Without a Masher

Aside from using a masher, you can also mash with a food mill, a food processor, a stand mixer, a whisk, a potato ricer, or even a fork

Alternatively, you can place the cooked and cooled potatoes in a resealable bag. Then, mash them with a rolling pin or other tools. 

Remember to cook the potatoes for 15 to 25 minutes and check them for doneness. 

Infant (Baby) Mashed Potatoes

For baby-friendly mashed potatoes, just mix the boiled potatoes with breast milk or formula milk for similar quality. 

  • Pot: Boil the potatoes in a pot of boiling water.
  • Masher: Mash the ingredients with a masher.
  • Spatula: Mix everything using a spatula.
  • Colander: Drain the potatoes with a colander.
  • Knife: Cut the potatoes with a knife.
  • Fork: Check the potatoes for doneness by poking them with a fork. 

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best mashed potatoes

How to Serve Mashed Potatoes

While mashed potatoes are usually cooked and served for Thanksgiving, there is no reason not to serve them with other dishes. For instance, you can pair them with:

The best thing about it is that you can prepare it two days ahead to have more time to cook your main dishes. You can also enjoy it with Iced Tea, Strawberry Banana Milkshake, or Carrot Juice

Limit your mashed potato intake to one cup every other day. According to Eat This, eating too many mashed potatoes can lead to increased carbohydrates and blood sugar, so eat them in moderation. 

Storage Tips

  • At room temperature: Home Cook Basics suggests eating room-temperature mashed potatoes within two hours. 
homemade mashed potatoes

make ahead

  • In the fridge: Put the dish in cling film. Then, refrigerate for three to five days. 
  • To freeze: Put the mashed potatoes in a container or freezer bag. Freeze for several weeks or months. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a better mashed potato?

One of the best tips I can give for better Mashed Potatoes is to use fresh milk and evaporated milk. Aside from making the contents easier to mash, they also add flavor and texture to the dish!

Don’t skip the herbs and spices because they will give life to the potatoes. It also balanced the flavor of the milk and butter for the best-tasting recipe.

What to use to mash potatoes?

Use a potato masher or a fork to mash the potatoes. Once the potatoes are soft and tender, you will find it easy to mash them with other kitchen utensils you have.

How healthy is mashed potato?

According to Weekand, Mashed Potatoes are good sources of potassium and vitamins that can help with digestion, blood pressure, and metabolism.

Should I mash or whip potatoes?

It depends on your preference. You can use a masher or a mixer to make the potatoes soft and well-combined with other ingredients. I suggest trying both methods to know which one you prefer.

buttery mashed potatoes
basic mashed potatoes

Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

5 from 1 vote
Cook your favorite Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes on a relaxing day with this recipe!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 5
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, French, German
Calories 199kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 lb Maris Piper potatoes (5 medium-sized) see note 1
  • water (for boiling)
  • 2 garlic cloves or ½ tsp garlic powder (optional) see note 2
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup fresh milk (see note 3)
  • 3 tbsp butter (salted)
  • 2 tbsp evaporated milk – SECRET INGREDIENT (optional) see notes 3 and 4
  • black pepper (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the potatoes.
    Peel and cut the potatoes into wedges. Rinse and drain.
  • Cook the potatoes.
    Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Then, add the potato wedges and garlic cloves. Cook the potatoes until soft and tender. Drain the potatoes.
  • Cook the mashed potatoes.
    Put the cooked potatoes in a pot on low heat. Season with sea salt and garlic powder if you're not using fresh garlic cloves.
    Pour in the fresh milk and evaporated milk. Add the butter and mash everything together until they are fluffy, smooth, and creamy. Garnish with black pepper.

Video

Notes

  1. Use Maris Piper, Russet, or Yukon Gold to make the best-quality mashed potatoes.
  2. Garlic powder can be added to the cooked potatoes before mashing.
  3. Adding evaporated milk gives the mashed potatoes a unique creamy taste.  
  4. For a vegan version, use soy, oat, or coconut milk.
  5. You can bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 (of 5)Calories: 199kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 6gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 279mgPotassium: 950mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 112IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 112mgIron: 2mg
Keyword basic mashed potatoes, best homemade mashed potatoes, classic mashed potatoes, creamy mashed potatoes, creamy mashed pototoe, easy mashed potatoes, fluffy mashed potatoes, mash, mashed taters, old fashioned mashed potatoes, perfect mashed potatoes

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