The secret to creamy mashed potatoes
The perfect smooth and creamy mashed potatoes are, quite simply, comfort food at its best. A soft bedding for rich slow cooked stew, or a favourite topping on the classic shepherd’s pie recipe – knowing how to achieve buttery and fluffy mash is an absolute necessity for any home cook.
Once you know these tips and tricks, you’ll be making the kind of mash that will have others asking you to pass on your secrets! Watch the video below, get the recipe and more.
Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipes
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg starchy potatoes such as Nicola or Desiree variety
- 150g butter, melted
- 250mL (1 cup) full cream milk, warmed
- 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
METHOD
- Peel potatoes, removing all dark spots (known as eyes) using the digging tool on the potato peeler. Cut potatoes into even quarters then add to a large saucepan of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil over medium heat
- Cook for approximately 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain
- Using a large masher roughly mash potatoes, then add melted butter. Use a wooden spoon to bring the mix together
- Stir in the milk adding half a cup at a time. Apply a figure 8 motion with your wooden spoon, mix potatoes until creamy and smooth. Serve potatoes, then drizzle with olive oil and season with salt
Get the recipe that you can save to your myfoodbook cookbooks: Creamy Mashed Potatoes
What are the best potatoes for mashed potatoes?
For creamy mashed potatoes, choose a starchy potato variety. These will become light and fluffy when cooked. Varieties such as Desiree, Nadine or Nicola are great for this purpose.
Avoid waxy potatoes, as they can leave you with lumpy or dense mashed potatoes.
The secret to creamy, buttery mashed potato
Adding butter before you add milk results in even more creamy mashed potatoes. The potato cells absorb the fat from the butter and you end up with a creamier texture and more buttery flavour, even when you use the same amount of butter and milk.
Why you should always use warm milk and butter for mashed potatoes
Milk and butter straight from the fridge will cool your potatoes down rapidly, which is no good when you want piping hot mash. Hot mash is also smoother and more creamy, unlike mashed potatoes that have cooled down and become a bit stodgy. Warm milk in the microwave in 30 second blasts until hot, and melt butter with the same technique before pouring into your mashed potatoes.
What can I add to mashed potatoes to make them taste better?
If you're looking for interesting ways to add more flavour to your mashed potatoes, try these 5 easy ways to dress them up:
- Mashed potatoes + browned butter + sage
- Mashed potatoes + blue cheese
- Mashed potatoes + sour cream + chives
- Mashed potatoes + roasted garlic + parmesan
- Mashed potatoes + cheddar cheese + bacon
What to serve with mashed potatoes
Now you have a bowl of perfect mashed potatoes, serve these delicious dishes with it. Check out the recipes below, or click for lots of mains to serve with mash.
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