The Perfect Mashed Potatoes to Solve Your Lumpy, Gluey Problems

Originally published on November 10, 2014

I’ve been asked a few times how to get the perfect mashed potatoes. They seem like such simple things, but perhaps they’re the reason Julia Child once said that “Potatoes are the most neurotic vegetable; you never know what they’re going to do.” After all, a simple thing like boiling potatoes and mashing them up should result in pretty much the same taste and texture every time. So why do they sometimes turn lumpy, or gluey, or completely tasteless? Because in the simple world of mashed potatoes, there are a multitude of things that can go wrong. Here’s how to get them perfect every single time.

Ingredients:

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and halved
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
Lots of salt
White or black pepper

Directions:

1.) Place potatoes in a large pot and fill with water. You probably don’t need as much water as you think. The general rule of thumb is that you need a thumbs’ length of water above the potatoes. That will be plenty to boil the potatoes.

2.) Generously salt the water and place the pot of potatoes on a burner set to high heat. Cover with a lid and bring up to a boil. Then keep covered, lower heat to medium and gently boil the potatoes just until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Make sure that the fork can reach to the centre of the potato, but don’t over-boil them. Doing so might result in making the potatoes either gluey or runny. It will also rob them of some of their flavour.

3.) While potatoes are boiling, place butter and cream in a saucepan set over medium heat. Once warm, remove from heat. It doesn’t have to be piping hot, just warm enough that the mixture doesn’t cool down the potatoes when added to them.

4.) Once the potatoes are fork tender, turn the heat on the burner down to low and drain. When drained, add them back to the burner and stir for one minute. This will help evaporate any moisture that’s remaining in the potatoes, giving you a drier, fluffier product in the end.

5.) Turn heat off and add warmed butter and cream. Using a ricer (the best option,) or a hand masher, mash the potatoes just until they have completely broken apart. It’s okay if a few lumps remain but do not use a hand-held or stand mixer. This will definitely over-mix your potatoes and will make them extremely gluey.

6.) Once potatoes have been mashed, use a wooden spoon to stir so they can break down even more and you can get rid of some of most of the lumps. Season with salt and black or white pepper. I prefer white, only because I don’t like the specks black pepper puts in mashed potatoes. Some add even more spices here, with a touch of nutmeg being one of the most popular. Stir again just to incorporate seasoning before serving.

7.) Serve and enjoy!