Perfect Mashed Potatoes
JerzeeTomato showed Thanksgiving spirit when she invited novice cooks to use Serious Eats as a resource (and when she observed that "Turkey Day is my Olympics!").
We want our Thanksgiving roundup to provide recipes for all skill levels, tastes and dietary needs. And so we bring you a basic: a calculated, written recipe for something many of us learn by doing and observing, without ever reading words on a page.
We bring you Perfect Mashed Potatoes, from Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington.
These may not be your perfect mashed potatoes, but they are perfectly tasty. You may be a purist who makes mashed potatoes without garlic, or who refines their mash by peeling the potatoes, or who believes in the importance of using a starchy potato for a fluffy end product. We welcome all mashed potato feedback and variations!
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
- serves 8 to 10 -
Ingredients
4 pounds yukon gold (or other yellow fleshed potatoes), cut into 3 inch pieces
8 garlic cloves, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/4 cups milk or half-and-half
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Procedure
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes, garlic, and salt and simmer, partially covered, over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes and garlic are fork-tender.
2. Drain the potatoes and garlic and return to the pot over high heat. Cook, tossing the potatoes, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until all the moisture is evaporated. Transfer to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, oil, and milk over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add to the potatoes and whip with a wooden spoon or whisk to a smooth but not soupy consistency. Mash any pieces of garlic until totally pureed. When the liquid is absorbed, season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
To prepare in advance, make up to 4 hours ahead, cover, and keep at room temperature. Reheat gently in the top of a double boiler over medium heat, adding extra milk as needed and adjusting the seasonings.
The Clever Cook Could:
- Peel the potatoes and purée with a potato ricer for a very smooth consistency
- Add 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or 1 or 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish or a squirt of wasabi paste
- Add 3 finely chopped leeks sautéed in olive oil to the mashed potatoes just before serving
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13 Comments:
You forgot the buttermilk!
DaveFaris at 11:02AM on 11/02/07
i never make the same mashed potatoes twice. depending on my mood, i make them either completely smooshed and silky, or chunky with skin on. usually i add to a small saucepan on the stove: heavy cream or milk, sour cream, butter, s & p, sometimes a garlic clove that has been either smooshed or minced. let that heat up while i pass my cooked warm potatoes through a ricer, then add the liquid little bit by little bit to the potatoes. i don't really measure (i would say about 3/4 milk, half a stick of butter, a good dollop of sour cream).
my husband never uses the ricer at home and instead puts the potatoes and liquids into the stand mixer and lets it rip. sometimes he adds grated asiago cheese to the potatoes.
french tart at 11:04AM on 11/02/07
I agree with the roasted garlic BUT that is not for everyone. I have so often been told by guests garlic upsets my stomach etc so I make 2 kinds one garlic one no garlic. I roast my garlic it makes the house smell wonderful.
I agree with the buttermilk. I peel and chop my potatoes before I boil them. They cook evenly.
I have food milled,riced,used the whisk on the Kitchenaid mixer, the hand mixer and the manual masher. I now do whatever is most easy.
Things to consider
try a pinch of baking soda.
Let the buttermilk get to room temp
I also use a bit of milk which I warm in the microwave
JerzeeTomato at 1:36PM on 11/02/07
I sometimes include the garlic, sometimes I don't, but this is basically the same recipe I use. My only difference is instead of the milk or half-and-half I use sour cream. It makes them silky-smooth (I use a ricer instead of a masher) and very rich.
deeoh1 at 1:59PM on 11/02/07
I like mine with finely chopped scallions.
mmmargie at 4:29PM on 11/02/07
i know this is probably gonna sound stupid, but anyway, i always put garlic powder in the potatoes while i mash them. i have never put the garlic in with them to boil. does it change the flavor or does it just infuse the flavor. my bf rinses the cloves before he chops or whatever and i always find my eyes rolling to the back of my head.
dearrie at 10:15AM on 11/09/08
This seems strange in light of the 1.25 cups of milk or half and half, but is there enough dairy fat in this thing?
brooklynchower at 8:17PM on 11/20/08
One of our favorite comfort foods. We use whatever dairy product we have on hand, milk, sour cream, cream cheese or any combination thereof.
vesmiller at 8:14AM on 11/21/08
We, too, love mashed potatoes as our favorite Thanksgiving side and as pure comfort foot. I use a ricer for the smoother consistency, and also use heavy whipping cream. I must say, though, that the sour cream sounds like a great alternative. We'll have to try that.
nancilee at 4:01PM on 11/14/09
ooo!! this looks like a tasty classic.
camelia at 6:57PM on 11/14/09
Sounds perfect! Yukon gold potatoes have the best flavor & a little garlic... yummy! It sounds like I'll be skipping the turkey and having 2 helpings of potatoes!!
laurifitz at 1:03PM on 11/15/09
Mashed potatoes with lobster this year. Yum.
MDeats at 6:22PM on 11/16/09
I am going to try these!!
klesher1 at 6:01PM on 11/18/09