Classic Mashed Potatoes
Creamy, buttery mashed potatoes made with Yukon Gold potatoes, warm cream and plenty of butter. Starting the potatoes in cold salted water and mashing them while hot gives a fluffy, lump-free result every time.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Makes
- About 6 cups (6 side-dish servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Cut the butter into cubes and let it sit at room temperature while you prep, so it melts quickly into the hot potatoes.
- Use a large pot (at least 5 quarts) so the water doesn't boil over.
- Do not use a blender or food processor to mash. It overworks the starch and makes the potatoes gluey.
- Have a colander and a potato masher or ricer ready before the potatoes finish cooking.
Prep the potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized 1½-inch (4 cm) chunks so they cook at the same rate.
- Place the chunks in a 5-quart pot as you cut them.
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Ready when: Chunks are roughly uniform in size.
Tip: Smaller pieces cook faster but get waterlogged. Don't cut them smaller than 1 inch.
Start in cold water
- Add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch (2.5 cm).
- Stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
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Ready when: Potatoes are fully submerged.
Tip: Starting in cold water cooks the potatoes evenly from outside to center.
Boil until tender
- Set the pot over high heat and bring to a boil, about 10 minutes.
- Reduce to medium so the water simmers steadily, and cook 12 to 15 minutes.
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Ready when: A paring knife slides into the center of a chunk with no resistance, and the edges of a few pieces begin to fall apart.
Tip: Undercooked potatoes make lumpy mash, so test a few of the largest pieces.
Warm cream and butter
- While the potatoes cook, heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Take it off the heat when small bubbles form at the edges and it is steaming.
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Ready when: Cream is steaming but not boiling.
Tip: Cold cream cools the potatoes and makes them gummy and dense.
Drain and dry
- Drain the potatoes thoroughly in a colander.
- Return them to the empty hot pot over low heat for 1 minute, shaking the pot, to steam off extra moisture.
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Ready when: Potatoes look dry and a thin film forms on the bottom of the pot.
Tip: Wet potatoes make watery, bland mash.
Mash with butter
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Add the butter cubes and mash the potatoes with a masher (or press them through a ricer back into the pot) until mostly smooth, about 1 minute.
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Ready when: Butter has melted completely and no large lumps remain.
Tip: Mash while the potatoes are hot. They turn pasty as they cool.
Stir in cream
- Pour in the warm cream in two additions, folding gently with a wooden spoon or spatula after each, just until the potatoes are creamy and combined.
- Stop stirring as soon as they look smooth.
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Ready when: Potatoes are fluffy, creamy and hold soft peaks on the spoon.
Tip: Over-stirring releases starch and makes the potatoes gluey.
Season and serve
- Season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper if using.
- Taste, then add more salt a pinch at a time until the flavor is bright and buttery.
- Serve right away while hot.
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Ready when: Potatoes taste well seasoned, not flat.
Tip: Potatoes need more salt than you expect. Taste before serving.
Good to know
Tips
- Salt the cooking water generously. It's the only chance to season the potatoes from within.
- A ricer or food mill gives the smoothest texture. A hand masher gives a more rustic one.
- Never use a blender or food processor. It turns the potatoes gluey.
- For extra flavor, add a few smashed garlic cloves to the cooking water, then mash them in with the potatoes.
Make ahead
Make up to 2 days ahead. Cool, refrigerate in an airtight container, then reheat gently in a covered pot over low heat with 2 to 4 tablespoons of milk or cream, stirring often, until steaming hot. They can also be kept warm for up to 2 hours in a covered heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: up to 4 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a covered saucepan over low heat or in the microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring in a splash of milk or cream, until steaming hot.
Substitutions
- Yukon Gold potatoes → Russet potatoes. They give a fluffier, lighter mash with a milder flavor. Use a ricer for best results.
- heavy cream → Whole milk or half-and-half. The mash will be a bit lighter. Warm it the same way.
- unsalted butter → Salted butter. Reduce the finishing salt and add it gradually to taste.
- kosher salt → Table salt. Use 1½ teaspoons (9 g) instead of 1 tablespoon of kosher salt.
