Mashed Potatoes are one of those things that seem really easy to make and kind of a no-brainer. You boil potatoes, you mash them, add butter and salt and voila right? It can be like that…if you like lumpy, flavorless, cold mashed potatoes.
I’m here to teach you a few easy tips and tricks for creamy and warm mashed potatoes that also taste good.
Tip #1-Calculate about 1 small-medium potato per person.
If you are serving a lot of other food items then maybe a little less. Also, if calculating for kids count less as well. Kids under 3 count 1/2 of a medium potato and kids 4-10 count 3/4 of a potato. If it’s for Thanksgiving then I would suggest more like 3/4 per adult because of all the other food options. You plate and belly just can’t handle that much mashed potatoes.
Tip #2-Cut your potatoes so they are all about the same size.
If you have some big diced potatoes and small diced potatoes then the small ones will cook quicker and leave the big ones under-cooked making them lumpy.
Tip #3-Boil your potatoes with your water.
If you boil the water first, then the outside of the potato will cook quicker than the inside of the potato. If you boil the water in with the potato then the potato is heating up on the inside at the same time as the outside making the potato cook evenly which will give you creamier mashed potatoes.
Tip #4-Heat up your butter and milk or cream.
When you add cold butter and milk to hot potatoes then it will cool your mashed potatoes down quickly. I don’t know about you, but I like my food served hot.
Tip #5-Leave a little bit of your water in the pot.
Leaving a little water in the pot will help with the mixing and create a little more liquid that is nice.
Tip #6-Mix the potatoes right after draining the water and don’t add anything else.
This tip is super important. They won’t look good and they won’t taste good but you have to mix the potatoes while they are still hot. Don’t add anything. This is key to making the potatoes creamy. I use a hand mixer but another great idea I just learned today was using your Bosch Mixer or a KitchenAide. Whip them good! After they have been mixed, then you can add the heated butter and milk/cream. I usually just do milk because I don’t want the extra fat. Either works great and both taste delicious. They will thicken up a little so it’s okay if they look a little runnier than you would like. You don’t want it soupy though.
Tip #7-Add chicken bouillon for good flavor.
You can add just salt and pepper, maybe even a little garlic. I like to add Shirley J’s chicken bouillon to give it a good mix of rich flavors. I like the particular brand because there is no MSG which is not the best thing for you body. The flavor is great and I really like it in powder form.
Tip #8-Add Parmesan Cheese and white pepper (optional).
I like adding a little extra flavor in the end with a little Parmesan Cheese and white pepper. I don’t like little black speckles in my creamy white potatoes but I love the flavor of a little pepper. It doesn’t take much and both of these are optional.
Most important. Enjoy!!!
Mashed Potatoes
This is a recipe that will feed to 8-10 people.
8 medium size potatoes
½ cup milk or cream
½ cube (¼ cup) butter
1 tsp chicken bouillon
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
More butter on top if you want
1-Peel potatoes. You can fill your pot half full with some water. Put the potatoes in the pot after you peel them so they don’t turn brown.
2-Once the potatoes are all peeled, dice them up into medium size squares.
3-Put the diced potatoes in a pot with 1 tsp of water and put it on the stove.
4-Bring the water and diced potatoes to a boil, it took about 14 minutes for mine to come to a boil.
5-While the potatoes are cooking, put your milk butter, and chicken bouillon in a pot and heat it up. Keep it warm until the potatoes are done.
6-After it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium high heat. It took about 10-12 minutes after that until they were soft enough. To test if they are done, put a fork in a couple of the diced potatoes. If it is easy to put the fork in and they are soft, then your potatoes are done.
7-Drain most of the water, leaving about ½ cup of water.
8-If you can, mix the potatoes right in the pot and as quickly as you can while they are still hot. I like to use a hand mixer but you can use a potato masher if you want, they just won’t be as creamy. You could also stick them in a Bosch Mixer or KitchenAide.
9-Once they have been mixed really well, add your warm milk, butter, and chicken bouillon mix and mix it together. You want it to be a little runny because it will thicken up after a little bit.
10-Add the Parmesan cheese and more salt, white black pepper and even garlic powder if you want.
11-Serve it up and Eat, Share, Enjoy!
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