Your first consideration should be your choice of potato. Russets are starchy, mealy and make fluffy mashed potatoes, but because they are drier than most, they also absorb more liquid. Yukon Golds are waxier and butterier and also make an excellent choice. Red potatoes tend to turn gummy and gluey when they’re mashed, so they don’t make the best mashed potatoes.
Second is your cooking method. Most people peel their potatoes, cut them into chunks and boil them, but they can be baked instead. And if you leave the skins while you boil or bake your potatoes they will retain more potato flavor.
The third factor is what you add and how you add them. It makes a difference whether you add the butter or milk first – adding the butter first allows the fat to coat the starch molecules in the potato, resulting in creamier mashed potatoes. Melting the butter before you add it allows it to do its job even better, and warm butter won’t cool down your potatoes. If you’re trying to cut back on fat, buttermilk and stock make delicious alternatives to butter and milk or cream.
To do the actual mashing, use a hand held masher, potato ricer or food mill. If you want your potatoes perfectly smooth, a ricer, which resembles a giant garlic press, is your best bet. If you whip your potatoes with an electric mixer, do it on low speed to avoid overworking the starch in the potatoes, which could make them gummy. Never use a food processor or blender to make mashed potatoes.
Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Comments