Perfect Mashed Potatoes

A simple method to make perfect mashed potatoes, every time.

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Prep Time 7

Cook Time 23

Total Time 30

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings people

Calories 121 kcal

Fill an 8-quart stockpot about ¾ full with hot water, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 1 Tbsp salt to the boiling water.
Pick two medium, equally sized russet potatoes.
Peel the potatoes under cool water.
Cut the potatoes into quarters. Keep the pieces equally sized.
Cut butter into 1 tbsp sized pieces - 1 tbsp per potato.

Carefully add the potato pieces to the boiling water. Boil until easily pierced with a fork, but not so long that the potato pieces fall apart. About 23 minutes.
When potatoes are done boiling, carefully pour the contents of the stockpot through a colander. Allow the potatoes to steam out and thoroughly drain.

Add the drained potato pieces back to the stockpot. Turn heat to low. Thoroughly dry the potato pieces before turning off the heat. You want the pieces to be as dry as possible, but be careful not to scorch them in the warm stockpot.
Use a potato masher to lightly mash the potatoes. Don't over mash them! There should still be some small chunks.
Add the salt and pepper.
Add the butter, and allow the butter to melt.
Add the milk.
Give it a final mashing, but don't go overboard. You are really just trying to mix it all together at this point.

And there you have it - perfect mashed potatoes. Serve it warm. Add gravy or au jus when plating, if you like. If it will be a while before serving, add a pat of butter, and put it into a warm oven until ready to serve.

The two critical pieces of advise for making perfect mashed potatoes are:

Thoroughly dry the potatoes before adding butter or milk.
Do not over-process the potatoes. Over-mashing the potatoes releases too much starch which makes the potatoes gummy. The mashed potatoes should be light and airy, with small chunks.