Mashed potatoes are an absolute must of a side dish for the Thanksgiving holidays, but are actually an important side dish to have in your back pocket for many cold-weather meals. I’ve had probably dozens of different kinds of mashed potatoes in my life from simple and easy to high-end fancy restaurant versions.
My general approach to mashed potatoes is that they should be relatively smooth, butter-packed, seasoned with some flavor that isn’t overpowering, and holds up to any gravy.
This guide to the ultimate mashed potatoes gives you LOTS of information on potatoes, which ones to use, what methods are good, and even ends with my favorite mashed potato recipe (right now).
Let’s dive in and make these potatoes the best they can be!
What potatoes work for mashed potatoes?
There are really two options here in my opinion. Yukon potatoes, which have a thin skin and then to be less starchy. These will make a creamy, rich mash but are more expensive and tend to be harder to peel and mash.
The other choice is the classic Russet potato. There’s nothing fancy about these and they are the workhorse of the potato world. They work great for mashed potatoes for sure. Sometimes I find it hard to get Russet potatoes completely smooth like Yukon potatoes, but that’s okay. They are still my go-to for most mashed potatoes just because they are cheap, easy to work with, and have good flavor.
How to cook potatoes for mashed potatoes
I learned out to make mashed potatoes by boiling a big pot of peeled and chopped potatoes and then, well, mashing them.
Before we cook the potatoes though, it’s important to remember our final goal with mashed potatoes, infusing them with loads of cream and butter! If we boil the potatoes, then they will have lots of water in them which means they have less room for butter.
So, while it takes longer, the best mashed potatoes actually start with baked potatoes.
I usually bake them at 400˚F for about an hour until they are fork tender. I like this method because the potatoes end up super dry and easy to work butter into, but also you can save the potato skins and make bacon potato skins!
If you are going to boil your potatoes, which is obviously faster, try to keep the potatoes in as large of a piece as possible. If you can’t boil them whole, cut them into halves or quarters so there is less water that gets absorbed.
Note: if you want to boil the potatoes, this guide from Serious Eats has great results although it is more work actually than baking them in my opinion.
How much butter to add to potatoes
There is a true spectrum of butter that you can add to mashed potatoes. I used to think that a tablespoon or two of butter is enough for a full batch of mashed potatoes. HA!
Then I was introduced to Joel Robuchon, who is a firm believer in a 2:1 ratio for mashed potatoes. If you have two pounds of potatoes, you need one pound of butter. That’s kind of a shocking amount for me, so I tone it down for the version below. But just know that if you prepare your potatoes right, they can hold an obscene amount of butter.
Also, because I like to add cream to my potatoes as well, I tend to go for something more like a 4:1 ratio for butter. So, in my mashed potato recipe below, I use 4 ounces (1 stick) of butter for a pound of potatoes.
Do you need a potato ricer for mashed potatoes?
I’m a generally against single-use items for the kitchen and it took me a long time to buy a potato ricer. The truth, of course, is that you don’t need one for mashed potatoes. You can mash stuff together in a bowl or use a mixer if you want to beat the potatoes and you’ll get good results.
The potato ricer though is very easy to use and makes the potatoes into nice little ribbons of potatoes, which then means less clumps when you mash them!
The finished potatoes kind of look like grated cheese, but when you start folding butter into them, they turn super creamy and smooth. It’s much harder without this piece of equipment, but not impossible by any means.
Once you have these pressed through the ricer, you can start working the butter. If your butter is soft and your mashed potatoes are hot, the butter will work into the potatoes very easily. Here’s my mashed potatoes after working in the butter.
Because I baked the potatoes and also didn’t use a crazy amount of butter, the mashed potatoes are a little dry at this point. Enter the cream!
How to infuse cream for mashed potatoes
Many recipes call for milk which is fine. You can absolutely use milk if you want, but I go with cream for a really rich and decadent mashed potato.
Add the cream to a small pot with a few shallots and cloves of garlic. Bring it to a simmer, then cover it and let it infuse for 10 minutes off the heat. Then it will be ready to work into the mashed potatoes.
When you start stirring the cream into the mashed potatoes, work in 1/4 cup batches. That will ensure that you don’t add too much cream which can make the mashed potatoes too watery.
Warning: if you over-work the potatoes, they can get really gummy at this point so try not to mix them too much.
Be sure to taste your mashed potatoes and season them with salt and pepper and you’ll be good to go!
How to fix watery mashed potatoes
On of my testing batches, I added too much cream and my potatoes go very watery and not great. I figured out how to fix this though.
If you prepare another potato, either boil or bake or microwave, and then press the potato into the ricer, you can slowly stir in the watery blend into the fresh potato and the results will be much better.
How to best reheat leftover mashed potatoes
If you want to make your mashed potatoes in advance, the best way to reheat these is to store them with some parchment paper on top to prevent drying out and also prevent a film from forming on the mashed potatoes.
The best way to reheat the potatoes then is actually to bake them. You can leave the parchment paper on if you store them in an oven-safe dish. Then bake them for 20-25 minutes at 350˚F until they are warmed through and they will be creamy and smooth. Feel free to serve them with more butter!
My Ultimate Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked Russet potatoes, after peeling and roasting (about 2 large potatoes or 3 medium potatoes)
- 4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 medium shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- Salt and pepper, To taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and poke a few holes in each one with a knife or fork. Roast potatoes for about an hour until they are fork tender. Let cool slightly.
- While potatoes bake, add cream to a small pot with shallot and garlic. Bring to a slight simmer, then remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for 10 minutes.
- Peel potatoes and measure out about a pound of potatoes.
- Add potatoes to a ricer and press through into a bowl. Then add softened butter and use a rubber spatula to work the butter into the potatoes, being careful not to over mix the potatoes.
- Once butter is in, add warm cream mixture to the potatoes in 1/4 cup batches. You might need only 1/2 cup of cream or up to a cup depending on how dry your potatoes are. Don't add too much cream or the potatoes will get watery.
- Fold potatoes together until smooth. They should hold their shape. Season with salt and pepper and serve while warm.
