How To Make Mashed Potatoes
 
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Mashed potatoes have been a staple of a good old-fashioned home cooked meal in countries like the United States and Ireland for possibly three hundred years. There are those that believe they were invented in France as the result of a potato recipe competition. But no matter where their origins, no Thanksgiving dinner in America would be complete without fluffy homemade mashed potatoes drenched in turkey gravy. But these buttery delights don’t have to be drowned with gravy as long as you know how to make mashed potatoes the right way. The basic recipe for mashed potatoes is easy and you don’t have to be a gourmet cook to make them. What makes one batch distinct from another are the things you can add either right before or right after they are mashed. Let’s start with the fundamentals of making mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
  • 6 russet potatoes
  • 1 cup of heavy cream*
  • ½ cup of salted butter at room temperature
  • salt
  • You can substitute plain milk or buttermilk.
Instructions
  1. Peel the potatoes and remove the eyes, then place them in a bowl of cold water so they don’t turn brown as you are cutting them up.
  2. Cut the potatoes into approximately 1-1/2 inch chunks.
  3. Put the potatoes in a large pot and completely cover them with water. Over high heat bring the water to a boil and then turn down so they can simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. Remove them from the heat and drain long enough to remove all of the water.
  5. Put the potatoes in a bowl and add the butter and milk or cream. Heating the milk first will help make your potatoes nice and creamy.
  6. You can use either a potato masher or an electric mixer to mash your potatoes. Never use a food processor. If you use a hand masher, use an up and down technique rather than a stirring motion. If you use an electric mixer, be careful not to over mix them. No matter what method you use, mix the potatoes well enough to get rid of any lumps but not so much that your potatoes end up sticky or gluey.
  7. Add salt to taste.
Notes
Here are some ways to dress up your potatoes so they are sure not to need gravy. For garlic mashed potatoes, roast about 5 cloves of garlic for every 6 potatoes you have used. Add the garlic plus ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese before you mash. For something a little zingy and exotic, add about 1 tablespoon of wasabi powder for every three potatoes. You can find this either at an Asian market or in the Asian section of upscale supermarkets. Now that you know how to make mashed potatoes, you can use the same technique to make mashed sweet potatoes , but add a little brown sugar while mashing.

Mashed potatoes

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