Mashed Potatoes

 It sounds so simple, right?

Faraway child is cooking Thanksgiving dinner for some friends in Malaysia. Mashed Potatoes are a family favorite and of course she wants to make them from scratch. Er, I should say that she wants her loving husband to make them from scratch. Son, I swear this is easy! This dish just needs some time and patience! :)

Making anything from scratch takes time. I love the boxed varieties too - but, honestly, nothing beats homemade mashed potatoes.

You can start with different kinds of potatoes but I really like russet - or baking - potatoes best. White or Yukon gold are great mashed as well - you just need to peel them before boiling and then watch that they don't start disintegrating in the pot.

Let's prep these potatoes as russet baking potatoes.  

These are really big potatoes!

scoring the tops

 

Baking potatoes range in size and sometimes its hard to figure out how much to buy. If a potato is the length of my hand - I want 1.5-2 potatoes per person. See the picture - these are some big potatoes. For 4 adults I have six of them.

Preheat oven to 350 F (about 176 C). Score - put a thin cut in - the tops of all the potatoes (see picture above). This keeps them from exploding. Yes, it actually can happen. Depending on the size of potatoes it may take up to 90 minutes for them to cook. You can tell by either inserting a skewer and feel how soft it is - or gently squeezing. You want your potatoes really cooked - not underdone and not burnt.

Take them out of the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes so that you can handle them. Cut them in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Keep some of your skins intact. You have the makings of a yummy appetizer (potato skins with cheese/bacon) or a side dish for later (Twice baked potatoes)

Whatever potatoes you use, the following steps are the same.

Give the potatoes a good chop in the bowl. Add 3 Tbsp of butter (cut it up first) and mix in the butter until melted. This year I added 8 oz of sour cream with half a cup of grated Parmesan cheese. You could decide to add cream cheese or cream. You can add cheddar cheese chunks - totally up to you. I like to keep them relatively simple. At Thanksgiving, mashed potatoes are really just a way to savor the gravy.

Mix all of this together, slowly mashing with fork or spoon or masher. 



 

You'll notice that the potatoes just seem to absorb everything. This is when you start to add milk. It might take up to two cups (or more depending on how much you are making) but start with 1/2 cup to get things going. How much milk you add is completely dependent on how much you are making - and how you like your potatoes. If you like them lumpy and thick - don't add that much. If you like them really smooth, you'll probably need a little more.

Mashing, cutting, pressing - keep working the mixture into a consistency that you like. Add milk in 1/2 cup increments to get it creamier. Careful not to add too much or you will have potato soup. 

If you don't want lumps, think about using a hand mixer or masher. Mashed potatoes won't really work in a food processor - the mixture is too thick and the starch in the potatoes will become gluey.  Just take your time and mash them up until you think it looks good. Season to taste with salt and pepper.



 

When I get to this stage, I like to put the potatoes in a baking dish and bake them right before I serve them. You can sprinkle them with some cheese or chives but that little extra baking seems to make them lighter and fluffier.

And if you have some leftover - use a couple of those potato skins to make 2x baked potatoes. They freeze really well. Just add cheese and any other topping you like before baking them.


There are many, many way to makes mashed potatoes. Its simply a choice in how you cook them and what you add to them. Have fun!

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