Recipe updated: April 16th, 2024
How to make mashed potatoes is a super simple recipe to make. No more guessing how much milk, butter, salt, and pepper to add. Your mashed potatoes will come out perfect every time. A creamy and buttery mashed potato recipe… YUM!! The perfect side dish to so many entrées.
Key Ingredients for Mashed Potatoes
Potatoes and Water
- 8 medium size russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon of salt
Milk, Butter, Salt, and Pepper Mixture
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
How to Make Mashed Potatoes
These step-by-step instructions are accompanied by detailed photos for enhanced clarity and guidance.
Wash and peel 8 medium-sized potatoes. Some people like to keep the skins on the potatoes. We prepare them that way a lot of the time, but for this recipe, though, we are removing the skins.
After peeling the potatoes, then cut them into fourths. After that, put the potatoes in a large pot and fill the pot with cold water. The water level should be about one inch above the potatoes.
Add Salt To The Potato Water
Add 1 tablespoon of salt together with the potatoes and water, then stir. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce heat to simmer and cover the potatoes with a lid. Simmer the potatoes for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender, but not mushy.
Tip: How To Tell When Mashed Potatoes Are Done
Test by poking a fort into a potato. The fork should slide into the potato with ease, but the potato should not crumble apart.
In the meantime, while the potatoes are simmering, put the butter in a medium-sized pot. Then, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Next, add the whole milk, salt, and pepper together with the melted butter. Warm the milk butter mixture, but do not let it boil. Turn the burner off and set the milk butter mixture aside.
When the potatoes are done cooking, drain the water out of the pot. You can use a colander by dumping the potatoes in it over the sink. Let the water drain out for a few seconds. Then, return the potatoes to the pot. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Tip: Some folks use a hand-held mixer, I have on many occasions, and it works very well.
Keep the heat on medium-low. Slowly stir the milk butter mixture into the potatoes. Depending on if your potatoes were the same size as ours, only add enough of the milk and butter mixture until the potatoes are firm yet fluffy and have a creamy texture.
These perfect-tasting mashed potatoes are ready to serve for dinner. With everyone having individual taste preferences, additional butter, salt, and pepper can certainly be added at the dinner table.
When you serve these mashed potatoes to your family for dinner, they are going to request you make them over and over again. You can serve mashed potatoes with these entrées – cabbage rolls, meatloaf, and turkey.
How To Make Mashed Potatoes
🫕 Equipment
- Saucepan 1 quart (to melt the butter)
🧂 Ingredients
Potatoes and Water
- 8 medium-sized potatoes
- 1 tbsp table salt
Milk, Butter, Salt, and Pepper Mixture
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
👩🍳 Instructions
- Peel potatoes. Cut them into fourths.
- Put potatoes in a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water. The water level should be about an inch above the potatoes.
- Add the salt to the pot of potatoes. Stir. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cover potatoes and simmer for 25 minutes.
- While the potatoes are simmering, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the whole milk, salt, and pepper to the butter. Warm the milk and butter mixture but do not let it boil. Remove from heat and set it aside.
- When the potatoes are done, drain the water out of the pot. Then mash the potatoes.
- Keep the heat on medium-low. Stir while slowly adding the milk and butter mixture to the potatoes.
*️⃣ Recipe Notes
- Test with a fork to check when the potatoes are done.
- You can use a colander to remove the water from the pot of potatoes.
- A hand-held mixer works great to mash the potatoes.
A wife, a mother to a son and a daughter, and a grandmother to three granddaughters. Flo loves sharing recipes passed down from her own mother, her mother-in-law, and her grandmother as well as new recipes created with her daughter, Tamara Ray.
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