Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Name: Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 28 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 53 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 lb (1360 g) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) chunks; 1 tbsp (10 g) kosher salt, for the cooking water (Diamond Crystal; use half if using fine salt); 2½ qt (2400 ml) cold water, enough to cover potatoes by 1 inch (2.5 cm); 6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces, softened but cool; ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream, at room temperature; ½ tsp (1½ g) kosher salt, plus more to taste; freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Buttery, velvety mashed potatoes made with Yukon Gold potatoes, warm heavy cream, and plenty of butter. Starting the potatoes in cold salted water and warming the dairy first keeps the texture smooth, never gluey.

Prep: 28 min
Cook: 25 min
Wait: 5 min
Total: 58 min
Makes: About 6 cups (6 generous side servings)

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Steps

Before you start

Cut the butter into tablespoon-size pieces and let it sit out while you prep so it melts quickly into the cream.
Cut all potatoes to the same size (about 1½ inches) so they cook evenly.
Have a large colander in the sink before the potatoes finish cooking.
Use a ricer, food mill, or hand masher. Do not use a blender or food processor, which turns potatoes gluey.

1
Prep the potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1½-inch (4 cm) chunks of similar size.
- Place them in a 5–6 quart pot as you work.
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Ready when: Chunks are roughly uniform in size.
Tip: Uneven pieces cook unevenly, leaving some hard and some waterlogged.
2
Start in cold salted water
- Add cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch (2.5 cm), about 2½ quarts (2.4 L).
- Stir in 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
- Set the pot over high heat and bring to a boil, about 12 minutes.
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Ready when: Water is at a steady, rolling boil.
Tip: Starting in cold water cooks the potatoes evenly from outside to center.
3
Simmer until tender
- Reduce the heat so the water simmers gently.
- Cook uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until a paring knife slides into the center of a chunk with no resistance.
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Ready when: A knife slides in easily and the edges of a chunk begin to crumble when pierced.
Tip: A hard boil can break up the outsides before the centers are cooked.
4
Warm the dairy
- While the potatoes simmer, combine the butter and cream in a small saucepan.
- Warm over low heat for 3–4 minutes, until the butter has melted and the cream is steaming but not boiling.
- Remove from the heat.
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Ready when: Butter is fully melted and the cream is steaming, with no bubbles.
Tip: Cold cream cools the potatoes and makes them heavy and pasty.
5
Drain and dry
- Drain the potatoes in the colander and let them steam for 2 minutes.
- Return them to the empty hot pot over low heat for 1 minute, shaking gently, to evaporate remaining moisture.
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Ready when: Potatoes look dry and chalky on the surface, with a thin film on the pot bottom.
Tip: Wet potatoes dilute the butter and cream and give a bland, loose mash.
6
Rice or mash
- Press the hot potatoes through a ricer back into the pot, or mash with a hand masher until no large lumps remain.
- Work while they are still hot.
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Ready when: No visible chunks; the mash looks fluffy and fine.
Tip: Never use a blender or food processor. The blades rupture the starch and turn the potatoes gluey.
7
Fold in butter and cream
- Pour in the warm butter and cream in two additions.
- Fold gently with a spatula after each until just combined and creamy.
- Stir in ½ teaspoon salt.
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Ready when: Potatoes are smooth, glossy, and hold soft peaks on the spoon.
Tip: Stop as soon as it is combined; overmixing makes potatoes sticky.
8
Season and serve
- Taste and add more salt, plus pepper if you like, a pinch at a time.
- Cover the pot and let it rest 3 minutes so the flavors meld, then serve hot.
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Ready when: Potatoes taste well seasoned and buttery, with no flat or bland notes.
Tip: Potatoes need generous salt; season in small increments.

Good to know

Tips

Yukon Golds have medium starch and a naturally buttery flavor, so they stay creamy and hold up to a ricer.
Salt the cooking water well; it seasons the potatoes from within, which finishing salt alone can't do.
A ricer gives the smoothest result with the least effort and no risk of overworking the starch.
For extra flavor, simmer 2 peeled garlic cloves with the potatoes and mash them in.

Make ahead

Make up to 2 hours ahead: place the finished potatoes in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water, cover, and stir occasionally. Or cool and refrigerate up to 2 days, then reheat as described under storage.

Storage & reheating

Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of cream or milk, stirring often, or in the microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between each, until steaming hot. Thaw frozen potatoes overnight in the fridge first.

Substitutions

heavy cream → whole milk or half-and-half. Slightly lighter result; use the same amount, and add 1 extra tablespoon of butter for richness if using milk.
Yukon Gold potatoes → Russet potatoes. Fluffier and drier; they absorb more liquid, so you may need an extra splash of warm cream.
unsalted butter → salted butter. Reduce the finishing salt to ¼ teaspoon and adjust to taste.
heavy cream → sour cream or crème fraîche (¼ cup replacing ¼ cup cream). Adds tang; stir in at room temperature at the end.