It’s been a beautiful fall here in the Kamas Valley.
And I’m already thinking of Thanksgiving.
I tend to gloss over Halloween cause I don’t especially like mounds of candy or dressing up. So mashed potatoes and gravy are on my mind months in advance.
I’m a leave-the-potato-skins-on kind of a mashed potato girl. You?
I like texture and lots of flavor.
My favorite potatoes to use for mashing are Yukon Golds. They have a golden yellow color and rich flavor. And I learned a few tricks that make these potatoes even better than your everyday mashed potatoes…
The first trick is to quarter your potatoes (rather than cutting them into small cubes). Leaving the potatoes in big pieces will make them absorb less water. If they absorb less water they’ll be able to absorb more cream and butter and thus be richer and creamier.
The second trick is to heat your butter and cream before adding it to the potatoes. The hot liquids blend right in and keep the potatoes warm without any need to reheat.
The third trick is to add the butter to the potatoes first. Adding the butter before the cream helps it to really absorb into the potatoes for a rich, buttery flavor.
And the last trick is to simply use really good ingredients. I like organic potatoes (cause potatoes are on the dirty dozen list for pesticides), Kalona SuperNatural butter, Straus Family cream, and Redmond Real Salt.
Now you can confidently sign up for mashed potato duty on Thanksgiving. Cause everyone’s gonna love these!
- 2½ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ¾ cup half and half or cream
- 1 tsp unrefined sea salt
- pepper (optional)
- chives (optional)
- Scrub the potatoes under cold water.
- Cut the potatoes into quarters, or just large pieces depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water until it covers the potatoes by one inch.
- Stir in 1 tsp of salt and then cover and bring to a gentle boil.
- Cook for 25-30 minutes. The potatoes are done if a sharp knife cuts through them easily.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat the butter and cream in two separate pots on low heat.
- Add 1 tsp of salt to the cream and stir briefly until it dissolves.
- When the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander in your sink.
- Turn off the heat on the butter and cream.
- Return the potatoes to the pot you boiled them in.
- Mash the potatoes with a masher.
- Add the hot butter to the mashed potatoes, stirring it in with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- When all the butter is absorbed, add the warm cream. It will seem soupy at first, but all the liquid will gradually become incorporated.
- Taste the potatoes and add more salt if needed and pepper if you want.
- Serve hot with a garnish of chives, an extra slice of butter, or gravy.
Disclaimer: Some of the above links are Amazon affiliate links, which means if you click on them and purchase a product I will earn a commission on that product with no extra cost to you. I have used all of the products listed and I highly recommend them.
Bruno says
What? No nutmeg? Nutmeg is the soul of mash potato.
Hi Bruno,
I’ve yet to try nutmeg in my mashed potatoes. It’s the soul of them, eh? I’ll add it next time!