Mashed Potatoes-Homestyle, fluffy potatoes garnished with butter and served as a side dish to all your favorite comfort foods.
I could eat homeamde Mashed Potatoes with dinner practically every.single.night. I love a lot of foods, oh you already figured that out, eh?!? Comfort food is my favorite though. I'd say we all have different versions of comfort food. My take on comfort food involves potatoes...preferably mashed potatoes.
On Thanksgiving my plate if full of all my favorite things to eat. It's the holiday foodies dream about. 🙂
I've never followed a recipe for mashed potatoes so I carefully wrote down everything I did so I could provide a recipe for you. This recipe is a standard mashed potatoes recipe in hopes of you needing it for Thanksgiving. Since I prefer traditional foods on Thanksgiving I didn't add anything like cheddar cheese or garlic to these. Also, this recipe will yield enough for about 4-6 people. If you're making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving day and need to feed more than four people just plan on peeling more potatoes and using more milk, butter, salt and pepper.
I use russet potatoes or some people call them Idaho potatoes. Russet potatoes contain more starch than Yukon gold or red potatoes and that helps to create fluffy mashed potatoes. Also, it is important to keep in mind to slowly add the milk and salt since you can't take it out once you've added it, but you can always add more.
If I am making these in advance or a large batch of mashed potatoes then I add a bit of cream cheese. I don't think you can taste the cream cheese, but it helps with the creaminess and the potatoes to "stick together." Also, when I am taking potatoes somewhere then I put the mashed potatoes in my crock-pot and keep them on warm setting.
Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 cups potatoes peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces. I peeled about 5 average size potatoes
- ¼ cup milk warmed
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tbsp of butter on top of potatoes once potatoes are finished being mashed
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- salt to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons cream cheese optional.
Instructions
- Dice, and rinse off potatoes.
- Place in a large dutch oven or stockpot.
- Pour enough cold water to cover the potatoes plus about an additional inch.
- Once water is boiling, cover and allow to boil for about 20-15 minutes.
- Do the fork test a couple of times to make sure they don't cook too long.
- Drain potatoes and place back in pot and place on hot, but turned off heating surface.
- Give the pot a couple of shakes to help get rid of the moisture.
- Place potatoes in a mixing bowl.
- If you have a hand mashed, start mashing the potatoes.
- I then use my hand mixer to help whip them.
- Slowly add the butter, salt and pepper and cream cheese if you're using it.
- Pour a little milk at a time, until the creaminess is reached.
- Don't over mix the potatoes.
- Top with another pat of butter and serve or cover with aluminum foil.
Notes
Also, make sure there is enough room for the water to boil.
I usually add the cream cheese if I am making a lot of potatoes or if I am making them in advance.
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm
This is a great classic mashed potatoes recipe!! Perfect for anyone looking for the traditional and wonderful potato side dish!
Tiffany
Thanks, Sophia!!
Allie | Baking a Moment
I am so with you- there's nothing more comforting than mashed potatoes with butter! These photos look amazing! Did you get a new lens or something?
Tiffany
Thank you, Allie!! You're so sweet! Nope, no new lens. Nothing new really except some backdrops. 🙂