Mashed Potatoes 101

Mashed potatoes have come full circle. The once lumpy, gooey, pasty mixtures that we may remember from childhood have now become the stylish spuds of today’s finest restaurants. Menus now boast, “roasted garlic blue cheese” or “caramelized fennel and walnut mustard” mashes.  Making excellent mashed potatoes is not difficult (although you may still come upon some imperfect ones) all you need are some basic tips and to understand potato ‘anatomy’.

Choose your potatoes wisely. Not all potatoes are created equal. If you prefer a lighter, fluffier mashed potato, choose a Russet potato, like Idaho baking potatoes. If you prefer a smoother, creamier, heavier mashed potato, choose waxy, low starch potatoes (round reds, fingerlings, blue or purple potatoes). For a rich, buttery, creamy potato try Yukon Golds.

Boil potatoes with their skins on; this helps to keep that intense potato flavor. Boil them in salted water, until just tender. If you like mashes with their skins, simply mash away (red skinned mashed are great—the skin adds color and texture). If not, you will need to peel the potatoes before mashing (if you’re using a ricer, see below, you won’t need to peel — the ricer does it for you!).

The way you mash makes all the difference. Potato cells carry “free starch” and you want to release as little of it as possible – since this is what makes your mashed potatoes sticky. Mashing with a fork, or a masher, releases very little free starch, but it also results in a lumpier mash. Mashing with a food mill produces a lump-free product, but the food mill slices the potato cells open and releases some free starch. The grand champion of free starch releasers is the food processor –which whirls away and releases tons of free starch particles throughout the mash (do not use a food processor for mashed potatoes unless you’re trying to invent a new kind of wall paper paste!). One of our favorite tools is the potato ricer. It gently mashes the potatoes, without turning them sticky. It’s also is a great tool because it can rice unpeeled potatoes without letting the peel get through the ricer.

After you’ve mashed your potatoes, put them back in the pot over a low heat for a few minutes to dry them out.

Add room temperature butter to the warmed potatoes and then the warmed liquid. Like potato choices, there is also a big difference in the choice you make for the liquid. Skim milk makes the thinnest mashed potatoes, regular milk (2% or whole) for medium texture and for the richest mashed potatoes … heavy cream! (yeah, yum, remember fat = flavor). Whatever liquid you use, warm it first so that it doesn’t cool the potatoes. If you want mashed potatoes that are lesser in dairy content, try mashing with some of the cooking water or vegetable stock.

Basic Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is a guideline; of course you can decide how thick/thin, buttery/non-buttery you want your mash.

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds potatoes (try Yukon Golds)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup to 1 cup liquid, warmed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

PROCEDURE

Place whole, washed, potatoes in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Boil until tender (20 to 40 minutes depending on size)

“Mash” potatoes in a potato ricer (if you’re using another tool to mash you will need to peel the potatoes first)

Place the riced potatoes back in the pot over a low heat. Stir for a few minutes, until potatoes are warm and dry (Careful! Don’t burn them!)

Beat in the butter (with a whisk), then the warmed liquid. Whisk vigorously until potatoes are lightened. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

A word about flavored spuds …

To produce stylish spuds with lots of flavor and class, try mashing in different flavor profiles. Food items that are precooked (think minced olives, blue cheese, poached lobster) or condiments (think mustard) work really well in mashed potatoes. Try using flavored mustards, flavored olive oils (you may want to reduce the butter), fresh, chopped herbs, Wasabi paste, sun-dried tomato paste, pesto … use your imagination and be creative. For thicker, harder food stuffs (think carrots, garlic, fennel) you may want to boil them along with the potatoes or sauté them in another pan (caramelized onions, for instance, are divine in mashed potatoes but need to be sautéed in a separate pan and then added to the mash).