Creamy Mashed Potatoes

The classic side dish to many a meal, mashed potatoes offer comfort, versatility and crowd-pleasing appeal. While simple to make, there are some tips and tricks to making sure you get the creamiest mash every time.

Servings

4 Servings

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME

35 mins

Difficulty

Easy

Wine pairing

Ingredients
 1 kg potatoes (about 5-6 large potatoes)
 1 cup cream or milk
 30 g butter
 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
 2 tbsp chives, chopped (optional)
 ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
 1 tsp each salt and pepper
Ingredients
 2 lbs potatoes (about 5-6 large potatoes)
 1 cup cream or milk
 2 tbsp butter
 1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
 2 tbsp chives, chopped (optional)
 ¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)
 1 tsp each salt and pepper

This recipe serves 4 as a side. If you increase the quantity, note that the cooking time will be increased.

  • I tend to use whatever type of potato I have at hand, but the best variety for mash are starchy potatoes such as russet, Idaho or Yukon gold.
  • I add a minimal amount of butter to my mash – feel free to add more if you like!
  • I use cream over milk for maximum creaminess, but either will work. 
  • My favourite optional additions for flavour include garlic, parmesan and chives. You can also try adding in your favourite fresh herbs.

Directions

1

Prepare and cook the potatoes

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into halves or large chunks.

Tip: Don’t chop the potatoes too small – to achieve the creamiest mash, you ultimately need to remove as much moisture from the potatoes as possible, and smaller pieces of potato will absorb more water. 

2. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water, and add a teaspoon of salt.

Tip: Using cold water ensures that the potatoes cook evenly.

3. Place the pot over high heat until the water comes to a boil. Boil until you can pierce the potatoes with a sharp knife and you meet no resistance – they need to be so soft they’re almost falling apart. This will take about 15-20 minutes for 1kg / 2 lbs potatoes.

4. Drain the potatoes in a colander, and set the pot aside for the next step.

2

Mash the potatoes

1. If you have a potato ricer, rice the potatoes back into the pot using the smallest setting. Otherwise, place the potatoes back in the pot and mash them with a masher or a large fork.

2. Put the pot back over very low heat for a minute or two, stirring constantly so the potatoes don’t burn, then remove from heat.

Tip: This is to draw any remaining moisture out of the potatoes.

3. Put the butter and cream (or milk) in a heatproof bowl and microwave until it’s warm and the butter is melted.

Tip: Adding warm butter and cream helps to ensure they incorporate smoothly into the potatoes.

4. Add half of the warm butter and cream to the potatoes, and stir until it’s mostly combined. Add the remaining half along with the salt and pepper and any other optional additions (garlic, parmesan, chives), and stir again. It will initially be stodgy, but keep stirring until it reaches a super creamy consistency.

Delicious as is, but feel free to serve with additional melted butter on top and sprinkled with salt flakes and more chopped chives.

Wine pairing

You’ll want to pair your wine with whatever you’re serving as a main alongside the mashed potatoes (not that there’s anything wrong with eating a big bowl of mashed potatoes on its own!).