Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Are you ready to relish the soft and smooth quality of Mashed Potatoes melting in your mouth? It’s a healthy recipe that you can serve for weekends or Thanksgiving! You can also enjoy it as a side dish for beef, chicken, pasta, and vegetables.

classic mashed potatoes

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Potatoes are now made tastier than ever. What better way to have fun with your family than to spend time over food, right?

How to Make Mashed Potatoes

Don’t forget to make these Mashed Potatoes for your next weekend party or Thanksgiving dinner!

Ingredients

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

Potatoes

Potatoes are mildly sweet, starchy, and creamy vegetables with low sugar content. You can also steam, bake, or fry for better flavor and texture. It’ll have a tender texture once boiled until tender.

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. 

Use your potatoes for High-Protein Beans, Sweet Potato Baby Puree, and Chicken Pie filling !

Garlic

Garlic adds a mild flavor and spice to the recipe. Moreover, it improves the potatoes and milk flavors for a mildly savory flavor. It also has a buttery quality that goes with the potatoes.

Milk

A mix of fresh milk and evaporated milk can make your mashed potatoes taste and feel like a gourmet meal. These dairy products also make it easier to mix the flavors. Most importantly, it adds to the creamy quality of the recipe. 

Salted butter

Make your mashed potatoes creamier by adding a bit of salted butter. A little goes a long way in improving the flavor and texture of the dish. It also adds the right amount of salt to taste..

Seasoning

Salt and black pepper are spices that you can use to balance the overall sweet taste of mashed potatoes. Adding this according to your preference will make the recipe truly your own. 

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 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. Add the 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 flavor. You can enjoy with almost every dish and drink! Happy Thanksgiving, indeed.

Tips

Potatoes

Selection
  • 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. 
Storage
  • 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.

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, combine 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 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 an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for several weeks or months. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the trick to making good Mashed Potatoes?

The trick to making good Mashed Potatoes is adding milk! Milk is highly suggested for mashed potatoes because it makes the dish tastier, creamier, and smoother. It helps the potatoes absorb the seasoning more effectively. 

What should we do first to make Mashed Potatoes?

The first thing to do to make Mashed Potatoes is to prepare the potatoes. Peel, slice, and rinse them properly. You should also boil them until they are soft to make them easier to mash.

Are mashed potatoes healthy?

Yes, Mashed Potatoes are certainly healthy. They’re made of fresh potatoes that are rich in fiber and vitamins. Other ingredients in this recipe, such as milk and eggs, have health benefits of their own.

How long does it take to boil potatoes for Mashed Potatoes?

Peeled and diced potatoes take 10 minutes to cook on medium-low heat. The smaller you cut the potatoes, the faster they cook.

buttery mashed potatoes
basic mashed potatoes

Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

Cook your favorite Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes on a relaxing day with this recipe!
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 25 mins
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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