10 Steps to the Best Mashed Potatoes

Okay, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Mashed potatoes are on everyone’s menu, and why not they are fluffy and buttery and a perfect vehicle for gravy. They encompass everything that is wonderful about comfort food. All of my friends that are on a diet please disregard this recipe or only have these for Thanksgiving this is NOT a low calorie recipe but I don’t eat mashed potatoes except on the holidays and when I do I go all out. Here are my top 10 tips for making the best fluffy, creamy, mashed potatoes:

1. Use a ricer. It looks like a big garlic press but keeps you from over mixing your potatoes. Have you ever had gluey mashed potatoes? They were overworked, maybe you used an electric hand mixer? Don’t ever put them in a food processor and I would also avoid a KitchenAid too.– Here is a link to a ricer at Williams Sonoma.

2. Don’t peel your potatoes. Wash them well and boil them whole. This way you get great potato flavor instead of watery potatoes. If you use a ricer you can cut them in half, putting the cut half down in the ricer and the skin will stay in the ricer. No peeling ahead of time! Be sure to have a hand towel handy the potatoes will be hot.

3. Start the potatoes in cold water.

4. Use the right potatoes. Use Russet or baking potatoes for fluffy potatoes but be careful not to overwork them. OR Use Yukon Gold potatoes for buttery flavor and if you insist on using an electric hand-mixer as Yukon Golds are less likely to get gluey. They have less starch than Russets.

5. Warm your cream or milk before adding to your potatoes.

6. Don’t let your potatoes cool before you mash them.

7. Keep them warm in a crockpot for several hours or put them in a casserole dish and top with a little extra butter and put a lid on. You can keep the casserole dish in a 350 oven for an hour, maybe an hour and half.

8. Use Crème Fraiche instead of cream.

9. Flavor with a little something extra – 1 head of roasted garlic or caramelized shallots, fried leeks, Parmesan cheese.

10. Workout a little harder at the gym on Wednesday so you can enjoy these mashed potatoes worry free.

Creme Fraiche Mashed Potatoes
2 lb Russet Potatoes
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 8oz container of crème fraiche
salt, to taste

Boil the wash potatoes whole until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Drain and cut in half. Use a ricer to mash the potatoes. Add 2 tsp. Salt, the butter, cut into pieces and the crème fraiche and stir until the butter is melted and the potatoes are creamy. Season to taste. Add warm cream or milk to make a softer, silkier mashed potato.