The Best Mashed Potatoes
My mashed potato recipe makes the butteriest, best mashed potatoes you’ll ever try! It strikes the right balance between creamy and fluffy for the perfect texture. Personally, I don’t like my mashed potatoes too soft/runny (and never gluey), and I don’t ever want them so dry that you could sculpt them. Today’s recipe is soft, yet sturdy enough that you can add a pool of gravy, if that’s your thing. I also included some of my favorite add-ins in the recipe card; you can add one or all of them, depending on your meal. If I’m serving my mashed potatoes with something like salisbury steak, I typically won’t include the add-ins (enough flavor from the rich gravy), but if the potatoes need to shine on their own without gravy (like as a side to roast chicken) I like to add all three. These mashed potatoes are wonderful without any additions too though! My mashed potato recipe takes less than half an hour to whip up and requires no fancy tools or techniques. Simply chop, boil, and mash! Serve yours as a hearty base for beef stew, or save them for Thanksgiving, where they’ll pair nicely with my brussels sprouts salad!
What You Need
Using simple ingredients in this mashed potato recipe not only means that it’s easy, but also lets the potato flavor really shine. Here’s what you need:
Potatoes. I prefer to use either russet or Yukon gold potatoes. Some recipes recommend using a blend of the two; while this can be done, I don’t really recommend it as the potatoes don’t cook at the same rate. If you want to do this, your best bet would be to cook them in separate pots to make sure they’re each cooked properly before combining. Red potatoes would also work well here!Milk. I like whole milk, but 2% milk or even a plant-based milk would work.Butter. Feel free to use salted instead of unsalted butter in the recipe, just use whichever you have on hand.Salt and pepper. Add both to taste. If ever a recipe tastes bland, it usually just needs a pinch more salt!
SAM’S TIP: Peel your potatoes, or don’t–whatever your preference is fine! With Yukon golds, I often won’t peel because the skins are thin, but with russets I usually peel their coarser, tougher skin (especially since, no matter how well I scrub them, I swear I can always taste the dirt). Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Mashed Potatoes
SAM’S TIP: Overcooking your potatoes (boiling to the point where they are falling apart) will make for watery mashed potatoes. Once they are overcooked, your potatoes will be nearly impossible to fix. You’re better off starting over if you over-boil them, so avoid this! If you love this recipe, you have to try my creamy potato soup–it’s a huge hit! Enjoy! Let’s cook together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
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