Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is milk or cream better for mashed potatoes? ›

As always, better quality ingredients equals better tasting food. Heavy Cream - While you, hypothetically, could use whole milk or something, I don't recommend it. Part of what makes these the creamiest mashed potatoes is the CREAM! Use the cream, we aren't eating mashed potatoes for our health.

Garnish With Herbs

Speaking of delicious green things, both woody herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme, and leafy herbs like dill can add freshness to this starchy side. A herb-based sauce like pesto swirled into mashed potatoes is another way to add vibrant flavor.

The best potatoes for mashed potatoes are a starchy varieties like russet, Idaho or Yukon gold. Starchy potatoes are best for mashed potatoes because they have a fluffy, almost airy texture that breaks down easily.

Overworking the potatoes will cause them to get gummy, potatoes should still be light and fluffy. 6. Add the butter first. Adding the butter first helps to coat the starch in the potato, resulting in a creamier potato.

Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

4: Soggy Mashed Potatoes. You wanted fluffy, but you got soggy instead? It could be that you cooked the potatoes too long or that you cooked them too hard (i.e., in very rapidly boiling water). Potatoes cook best when they're boiled gently, not vigorously.

Mash potatoes with half-and-half or milk using a potato masher. Add in the cream cheese and smash until the cheese melts into the potatoes. Add chives or scallions. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Made with fresh real potatoes, butter, and milk, Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes tastes like homemade. We put extra care into making our mashed potatoes rich and creamy to deliver that homemade flavor you expect.

Perfectly smooth and creamy mashed potatoes served with a homemade gravy made from stock cubes, garlic powder, butter and flour. A great side-dish to serve with fried chicken or burgers.

Why do you soak potatoes in water for mashed potatoes? ›

Soaking potatoes in water helps remove excess starch. Excess starch can inhibit the potatoes from cooking evenly as well as creating a gummy or sticky texture on the outside of your potatoes.

Infusing milk or cream with herbs and garlic is a simple but effective way to make a potent flavor difference in mashed potatoes. Combine your preferred dairy with butter in a small saucepan. Add five or six cloves of garlic, cut in half, along with a dozen sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary.

Peel the potatoes: Whether you peel or not is up to personal preference, but if you do prefer peeled potatoes it's best to remove the skin after cleaning but before boiling.

Is milk or cream better for mashed potatoes? I use half-and-half: it gives the potatoes the perfect creamy texture and rich taste. As a half-and-half substitute, you could also use heavy cream or whole milk. Whichever you use, just start with a little and add more as you need it.

So, the most convenient way to make mashed potatoes that doesn't take a quick trip to the store is to use milk, sometimes even 1% or 2%, and then add in melted butter to the warm milk when mixing into the mashed potatoes.

Milk also has a tendency to dull down or dilute the flavor of the potatoes. Cream adds a more luxurious mouthfeel due to the high fat content. Cream is heavier with higher fat content. Hence unless used sparingly will cause the mash to become heavier, less fluffy, and more fatty.

I've experimented with many mashed potatoes recipes and many ingredients, and have come to this conclusion: if you want to make the creamiest and smoothest mashed potatoes, make your mashed potatoes with heavy cream. I've tried milk, half and half, and other ingredients, but they just don't work as well.