I prefer using large, or 'A' sized Yukon Gold potatoes, but any potato will do. Use the best you have in your area. Peel or don't peel depending on your taste, but cut the potatoes into equal-sized slices or pieces. The idea being, if the potatoes are the same size, they will cook for the same amount of time. This avoids lumpy or overcooked mashed potatoes. The technique used here might be new to some. The idea of making really smooth mashed potatoes is to have all of your liquids hot as well. Don't pour cold milk onto hot potato chunks and expect them to break down into a smooth product. If you like chunky mashed potatoes like I sometimes do, then don't follow this technique.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine New American, New Southern
Keyword Mashed Potatoes
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 6people
Author David of Sunset & Sewanee
Equipment
2-3 large pots for soaking boiling the potatoes
potato peeler
chef knife
cutting board
measuring cups and spoons
stand mixer or large mixing bowl and hand potato ricer
large mixing bowl (if needed)
Ingredients
2-3lbspotato, russet, or Yukon Gold, peeled cut into 1-inch slices (About 4-5 large Russets)
1pot ofwater, cold, enough to soak the potatoes completely
1pot ofwater, boiling with (1 tbsp salt)
½cupbutter, melted
4-5cloves ofgarlic, peeled and minced
8ozcheese, cream, or Neufantel at room temperature
Preheat the same amount of water that you place the raw potatoes in. Bring to a boil, add salt and reduce the heat to a simmer: cover and reserve.
Slowly heat the milk, cream cheese, garlic, and butter in another smaller pot. The milk mixture should be hot enough to melt the cream cheese and butter when whisked.
Peel and cut the potatoes into roughly the same universal size and place them into a bowl/dish with cold water. This will keep the potatoes from oxidizing (turning black) while you get all of them done. Make sure all of the potatoes are covered by the water.
Using a colander, drain the soaking, cold water from the potatoes and place the potatoes into an empty pot. Pour the reserved hot water over the potatoes and bring the water to a boil.
Boil the potato pieces for about 15-20 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain the potatoes into a colander. Immediately transfer half of the potatoes to a mixing bowl and start mashing with a potato masher, or (if you are like me) add 1/4 of the potatoes to an electric mixing bowl fitted with a paddle or whisk, and on the lowest speed, smash the potatoes until they are smooth.
Next, slowly add a few potatoes at a time until they are mashed up. This would prevent mashed potatoes from flying out of the bowl if you were to add all of them at once. You can also manipulate the mixer head itself if you need to by raising or lower the paddle/whisk attachment as needed. Once all potatoes have been incorporated, slowly add the last half cup of the milk, butter, cream cheese, garlic mixture. Adjust seasoning (salt) to taste.