Oh, my! Creamy Mashed Potatoes is sometimes all I need to experience comfort in my soul! I know this sounds crazy, but it’s like getting a hug from your momma. This is a perfect side to a Sunday family meal and can work with either Russet or Yukon gold potatoes. In this post, Russets were used. In my Perfect Mashed Potatoes post I used Yukon Golds. To be honest, I find the gold potatoes to be the best for mashed potatoes. The Russets seem to hold more water and are better for baking purposes. The Yukon Golds not only have a buttery color, but tend to be more flavorful with it’s own natural buttery taste. Try it and see for yourself!
The Prep:
Wash, peel and slice potatoes in quarters lengthwise. Then slice vertically into equal sections. Cover them in a saucepan with COLD water about an inch or two above the top.
Time to cook ( …and how to prevent boilovers):
I bring the pot of salted water to a boil over HIGH heat. Once it begins to boil, I reduce to MEDIUM HIGH heat and set the timer for 15 minutes to check for doneness. Why is there a wooden sppon placed on the top? It’s one of my favorite life-hacks of all times. Enough of cleaning up all thiose spillovers on the stove! Evidently, there’s a bit of science theory involved here. When an object that doesn’t absorb water comes in contact with a surface of a bubble, the boiling water retreats. Secondly, the steam inside the bubble will condense and and change back into a liquid when touching a surface below 212 degrees, causing the bubbles to burst. Isn’t science fascinating?
Slice the butter into 1 tablespoon sections to help accelerate its softening
The Mix:
Drain the potatoes then mash them with a whisk to break down or use the beaters of a hand mixer. Pour the HOT milk over the potatoes and begin to mix on LOW speed. Next, add the softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Taste and adjust the seaasonings.
Now, that’s what I’m talking about! Get ready to serve up these Creamy Mashed Potatoes to your hungry family!
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs Russet or Gold potatoes
- 1 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 c HOT milk/cream
- 1/2 c softened butter-)1 stick) cut into 1 T sections
- 3/4 t sea salt
Instructions
- Peel and wash potatoes. Next, quarter potatoes lengthwise. Lay each half side-by-side on the cutting board and slice across both at 1/2' to 3/4" intervals. Thickness may determine length of cooking time.
- Place cut potatoes in a large saucepan, covering with at least 1-1/2" of COLD water above the surface of the potatoes. Sprinkle even with the salt.
- Bring potatoes to a boil over HIGH heat. Once it begins to boil rapidly, turn it down to MED to MED-HIGH heat. Set the timer for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally while boiling. At this point, check to see if a large potato cube flakes apart easily. If it's still a little tough, boil an extra 2-3 minutes. Drain.
- Put potatoes in a mixing bowl and begin to mash and break apart the rest of the potatoes using a potato masher, mixer beaters or a the head of a whisk.
- Add the HOT milk and begin to blend in with the hand mixer.
- Add 1 T of the softened butter at a time until melted and mixed in.
- Mix in the sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
- Enjoy!
