best potatoes for mashed potatoes

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best potatoes for mashed potatoes

Although waxy potatoes hold their shape well when they’re boiled – a plus for dishes like potato salad, where you don’t want them to go to mush – they tend to make lumpy mashed potatoes. For smooth and light mashed potatoes, you’ll want to reach for starchy potatoes. The same qualities that make starchy potatoes fabulous baking potatoes – namely, that they have a fluffy, almost airy texture – make them the best variety for mashing.

The most ubiquitous variety, russets, will mash smoothly and readily absorb whatever delicious additions you incorporate, whether you go with the classic butter and cream combination or mix things up with sour cream or even roasted garlic and olive oil. Yukon golds, just slightly less starchy, work beautifully too, boasting a deep earthy flavor and a hue that brings butter to mind – which is never a bad thing with the dish in question.

MASHED POTATO INGREDIENTS:

Ok, before we get to the full recipe at the bottom of this post, here are a list of the ingredients you’ll need to make this homemade mashed potatoes recipe:

potatoes: As mentioned above, I’m a big fan of using a mixture of half Yukon gold potatoes and half Russets. It gives you the best of both worlds — starchy and waxy potatoes — and they cook alongside one another beautifully. Although you are welcome to use just one variety of potatoes, if you prefer.

Garlic: When serving these to a crowd, I like to add just 2-3 cloves to give just a subtle undertone of garlic to the recipe. But if making them for myself, I will toss in up to a dozen cloves. I adore good garlic mashed potatoes.

Butter: When I eat mashed potatoes, I go all-out and want them to taste nice and buttery. We don’t add as much butter here as many recipes do, because the other ingredients help to make them nice and creamy, but you are of course welcome to add in more butter if you would like. If you are eating dairy-free and/or vegan, feel free to use vegan butter.

Milk:

I always use whole cow’s milk in my mashed potatoes. But you are welcome to amp things up with half and half or heavy cream, if you prefer. Or alternately, you can use a lighter milk or plain plant-based milk.

Cream Cheese: I always grew up making mashed potatoes with cream cheese and enjoy the slight extra tangy and creaminess that it adds. Be sure that your cream cheese is room temperature and cut into small 1-inch chunks, for easy melting into the potatoes.

Fine sea salt: Which we will use to season the potatoes at different points while cooking. (If you only have iodized table salt on hand, note that its flavor is different and stronger so you will need to use a bit less.)

Toppings (Optional): I like to sprinkle on some chopped chives or green onions, for some extra color and freshness. Plus lots and lots of freshly-cracked black pepper. But feel free to add on what you’d like!

best potatoes for mashed potatoes

HOW TO MAKE MASHED POTATOES:

To make mashed potatoes, simply…

Cut the potatoes. Again, feel free to peel your potatoes or leave the skins on. (I always leave them on for the extra nutrients and flavor.) Then cut your potatoes into evenly-sized chunks, about an inch or so thick. Then transfer them to a large stockpot full of cold water until all of the potatoes are cut and ready to go.

Pro tip: If you are prepping ingredients for a big meal ahead of time, the potatoes can chill in the cold water for up to 4 hours before boiling. Just add a few ice cubes to the water to be sure that it stays cold.

Boil the potatoes. Once all of your potatoes are cut, be sure that there is enough cold water in the pan so that the water line sits about 1 inch above the potatoes. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon salt to the water. Then turn on high heat until the water comes to a boil. And boil the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in with almost no resistance. Carefully drain out all of the water.

Prepare your melted butter mixture. Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat your butter, milk and an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt together either in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is just melted. (You want to avoid boiling the milk.) Set aside until ready to use.

Pan-dry the potatoes.

Return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, and then place the stockpot back on the hot burner, turning the heat down to low. Using two oven mitts, carefully hold the handles on the stockpot and shake it gently on the burner for about 1 minute to help cook off some of the remaining steam within the potatoes. Then remove the stockpot entirely from the heat.

Mash the potatoes. Using your preferred kind of masher (see above), mash the potatoes to your desired consistency.

Stir everything together. Then pour half of the melted butter mixture over the potatoes, and fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula until potatoes have soaked up the liquid. Repeat with the remaining butter. And then again with the cream cheese. Fold each addition in until justcombined to avoid overmixing, or else you will end up with gummy potatoes.

Taste and season. One final time, adding in extra salt (plus black pepper, if you would like) to taste.

Serve warm. Then serve warm, garnished with any extra toppings that you might like, and enjoy!!

best potatoes for mashed potatoes

best potatoes for mashed potatoes recipe

Here’s our recipe for how to make the best classic mashed potatoes, with recommendations for potato type, dairy additions, and mashing methods.

INGREDIENTS

5 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, well-scrubbed
3 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
2 cups half-and-half
Finely chopped fresh chives (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
Additonal pat of butter (optional)

EQUIPMENT

Large pot
Colander
Food mill, ricer, or potato masher
Two smaller saucepans for heating butter and half-and-half
Spatula or wooden spoon

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil the potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the salt. Cover and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Uncover and reduce the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until knife tender, testing for doneness at 30 minutes. A sharp knife should easily go through the potato. Larger potatoes may take longer, up to 45 or 50 minutes total.

Heat the butter and half-and-half and add salt. About 20 minutes into the potato cooking time, melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan. Heat the half-and-half and remaining 1 tablespoon salt over low heat in another small saucepan. Keep both warm.

Drain the potatoes. When the potatoes are ready, drain them in a colander. Turn off the heat on the butter and half-and-half.

Mash the potatoes.

If using a potato masher or ricer, peel the potatoes — you can pick each one up with a pot holder and peel with a paring knife. If using a food mill, don’t peel the potatoes. In either case, mash, rice, or process the potatoes back into the pot they were cooked in. This will cut down on extra dishes and help the potatoes stay warm from the pot’s residual heat.

Add the dairy. Add the hot butter to the potatoes, gently stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula to incorporate. When all the butter is absorbed, add the hot half-and-half. It will seem soupy at first, but the potatoes will gradually absorb the liquid and turn into a creamy mixture.

Taste, garnish, and serve. Taste and season with more salt as needed. This is also a good time to add pepper if using. Spoon into your serving dish and top with optional garnishes, such as a pat of butter or some chopped chives.

best potatoes for mashed potatoes

The Best Potatoes for Mashed Potatoes

The best potatoes to use for mashed potatoes are Russet potatoes or Idaho potatoes because of their high starch content. Yukon gold potatoes are another good option, the texture of Yukon gold is a bit more buttery and not quite as starchy.

If using Yukon gold potatoes, you can leave some of the skin on for a bit of texture. Russet or Idaho potatoes have tough skin that should be peeled first.

Can You Reheat Mashed Potatoes?

Yes! You can even make ahead and freeze mashed potatoes. Just make sure that you don’t skimp on the butter or cream. It’s the fat that helps the potatoes reheat well.

Our favorite way to reheat mashed potatoes is to just put them in the microwave (covered) for a couple minutes, and then give them a good stir before serving.

You can also put them in a slow cooker (a couple hours on low), or reheat in the oven or on the stovetop. Just stir occasionally, and add more butter and seasoning if needed to serve.

What To Serve With Mashed Potatoes?

I can pretty much eat these mashed potatoes without anything else on the plate. That said, there are so many options for what to serve them with:

Adam loves pouring lots of creamy gravy on top of his.
Rotisserie chicken from the store is a quick meal or you can roast your own chicken.
Roast turkey is also incredible. Here’s our rosemary garlic roasted turkey breast recipe.
I love these potatoes next to a slice of turkey meatloaf, baked salmon, and this roasted pork tenderloin.
Add even more sides to your plate with honey roasted carrots or crispy roast broccoli.

best potatoes for mashed potatoes

Tips for making mashed potatoes

Cut your potatoes a little larger (if boiling) – Large potato dices won’t get as mushy or waterlogged. This can also be prevented if steaming or using the Instant Pot or Crock Pot.
Use a stand mixer – I don’t know about you but mashing potatoes by hand is not my favorite thing. I love using my Kitchen Aid with the whisk attachment. Makes them perfectly every time without the hand cramps.
Heat your dairy – Heat your milk and butter ingredients in a small saucepan or the microwave before adding to the potatoes. This will keep the potatoes warm and help with even distribution.
Fluffy mashed potatoes – For light and fluffy mashed potatoes, all you need to do is rinse away a lot of the starch. Rinse your potatoes well after peeling and cutting into cubes. Then, rinse again after boiling when you drain the water in the sink.
Creamy mashed potatoes- If you like your potatoes on the creamy side and a little more dense, add a few splashes of half and half, heavy cream or a few tablespoons of cream cheese.
Add some color – When serving, add a garnish of a parsley or thyme sprig to add fresh color to the potatoes.