Here at home, mashed potatoes are probably among the dishes my family enjoys the most. Here at home Wednesday is my assigned day to cook dinner. I’ve been serving grilled steaks and mashed potatoes and waiting for my family to complain about the repetition but, it hasn’t happened. As a matter of fact, they keep asking for it. 😁
Thankfully, mashed potatoes are straightforward to make. I don’t understand why there is even such a thing as instant mashed potatoes because, honestly, preparing it is so simple, that it may as well be instant. But I guess instant mashed potatoes are really geared more toward people who do not want to have to deal with peeling potatoes.
Over the years I have developed my own technique for making this yummy side dish. It may not be original (I’m sure someone else is doing it this way) but through experimentation, I’ve found this to be the most efficient way to make it. Traditional recipes will tell you to wash the potatoes, boil them with the skin on, then when they are cooked, you peel the potatoes before mashing them.
That does not work for me.
- Hot potatoes are not easy to handle.
- If you wait until the potatoes are cool enough to handle and peel easily, it makes them more challenging to mash properly and infuse with flavor.
This is why I like to do things differently. I like to peel and slice the potatoes BEFORE cooking them.
Here is my version of mashed potatoes. Enjoy! 🙂
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are a good side dish to anything fried or grilled.
- 1 kilo potatoes (I prefer using the big ones, as it means less potatoes to peel but, really, the size does not affect the taste so use whatever is available.)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup milk (If you want the mashed potatoes to be creamier, go ahead and add more!)
- 2 tbsps. salted butter (A lot of recipes you will find online will tell you to use unsalted butter. I say, bring on the salt! It just means I have to add less (or not at all) at the final tasting.)
- salt, pepper, and other spices to taste
Preparation
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Wash the potatoes. Make sure that there is no mud left on the skin.
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Peel the potatoes and slice them into about half a centimeter thick. You want it thin enough to cook faster.
Cooking
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Place the sliced potatoes in a pot and place enough water to cover and throw in the salt. Boil for at least 15 minutes.
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Test if the potatoes are cooked by sticking a fork in them. If the fork slides in easily then your potatoes are cooked. If you feel any resistance, that means you need to give it a few more minutes.
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Once cooked, remove the pot from the heat and pour out the water. It is a good idea to use a strainer at this point as you want to make sure to get all the water out but keep the potatoes in. Don't scoop the potatoes out as this will cause the potatoes to crumble prematurely.
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Take your masher and work it over the potatoes in the pot until all the slices are crumbled. Do this several times until you do not see any lumps. You can also use a hand mixer or blender to do this step. The potatoes are so soft that they will crumble nicely. I don't encourage this, though, because I don't like wasting potatoes. 😁
Infusing the flavor
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Place the potatoes back on the stove and add in the butter. I like to use the masher to infuse the butter while mashing it more. You can pre-melt the butter I find there is no need to do that. Mix the potatoes in the pot to help infuse it with the butter. You may add more butter if you like.
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Add in the milk and mix, mix, mix!
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Add pepper and any other herb you want to infuse. Depending on the dish I like to use oregano, basil, tarragon, or rosemary. Another thing I like to add is Badia Garlic Pepper seasoning.
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Mix, mix, mix. Don't forget to taste!
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Serve while hot for best results.
