A well-made mashed potato is creamy, fluffy, deliciously buttery, and has just the right amount of salt. Though mashed potatoes are a relatively simple side dish, they can go wrong in many ways – and nobody wants gluey, bland spuds. Here are some tips from professional chefs on making delicious mashed potatoes this holiday season. Our top takeaways are listed below.
Your Potatoes Are Too Wet
Potatoes have more water, so you can’t add as much milk, cream, or butter to them. Make sure potatoes are cooked whole, with their peels on. Once the potatoes have been peeled and strained, return them to high heat for a minute or two. To ensure ample butter and milk, bake potatoes in salt for an hour (or until soft).
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Letting The Potatoes Get Too Cold
When the temperature changes, mashed potatoes don’t stay fluffy. You can keep the vegetables warm in the oven (with the oven turned off) or in a bain-marie at 140°F until dinnertime by covering them with foil.
Over-Mixing The Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are best when they aren’t overmixed. Using electric mixer results in an unfortunate glue-like texture in mashed potatoes, so Michael DeLone, executive chef at Nunzio, suggests people avoid it. Make the mixture smoother and almost pudding-like by mashing it or whisking it with a metal whisk.
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Adding All The Liquid At Once
Make sure the mixture is consistent by adding a little at a time. Make sure your mashed potatoes don’t turn into potato soup by paying attention to the texture of the potatoes.
Using Milk Instead Of Cream
Heavy cream is the best choice for thick, creamy mashed potatoes. It is less creamy and less flavorful to mash potatoes with milk since milk has a higher water content.