Name: Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 kg peeled potatoes suitable for mashing e.g. Maris Piper, King Edwards, Russets, Yukon Gold; 1½ teaspoons fine salt; 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature; 50 – 100g double/single cream or milk, or a mix; ¼ – ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; Extra salt if necessary

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Light, fluffy, buttery mashed potatoes; a staple in most of our diets and easy to make, when it is not right it can ruin a meal. Follow a few basic tips and you will have perfect mashed potatoes every time.

The main points to remember are:

use the correct potatoes. You need potatoes which are high in starch, not waxy potatoes. the best to use are Maris Piper, King Edwards, Russets, Yukon Gold.
cut the potatoes into as similar size as possible – this ensures they cook at the same rate.
add cold not boiling water to the potatoes to cook. If you add boiling water the outside of the potato will be cooked before the inside and may then collapse. Cold water will ensure more even cooking.
add salt to the potatoes and water at the beginning of cooking. This will ensure even flavouring and throughout all the potatoes.
make sure the potatoes are soft all the way through before draining so that they will mash well.
drain the potatoes thoroughly.
add room temperature, not fridge cold, butter and warm (not boil) the milk and cream before adding.
do not over work the potatoes when mashing. Stop as soon as they are light and fluffy. If you overwork them they may turn waxy and gluey.

How to make Mashed Potatoes

Collect all your ingredients together:

peeled mashing potatoes eg Maris Piper, King Edwards
fine salt
butter
milk and/or cream
freshly ground black pepper

Make the mashed potatoes:

Peel the potatoes and cut into even sized chunks.
Cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until soft. This will take 15 – 25 minutes, depending on the type and size of the potatoes.
When the potatoes are soft, drain well.
Warm the cream/milk, make sure the butter is at room temperature and get the black pepper.
Mash the potatoes with either a potato masher or an electric whisk and add the butter, pepper and half the cream or milk.
Whisk until light and fluffy, adding more cream/milk as needed. (NB If whisking, stop whisking as soon as the potatoes are light and fluffy. If you over-whisk, the potatoes can become waxy in texture. )

1 Potatoes, cut into even sized chunks, and salt

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Mashed Potatoes

Course Dinner, Lunch, Supper

Keyword mashed, potatoes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 kg peeled potatoes suitable for mashing e.g. Maris Piper, King Edwards, Russets, Yukon Gold
1½ teaspoons fine salt
50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
50 – 100g double/single cream or milk, or a mix
¼ – ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Extra salt if necessary

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Cut the peeled potatoes into even sized chunks.
Cover with cold water, add the salt and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until soft. This will take 15 – 25 minutes, depending on the type and size of the potatoes.
When the potatoes are soft, drain well.
Warm the milk/cream (do not boil) in either the microwave or in a saucepan
Mash the potatoes with either a potato masher or an electric whisk and add the butter, pepper and half the cream or milk
Mash/whisk until light and fluffy, adding more cream/milk as needed. (NB If using a whisk, stop whisking as soon as the potatoes are light and fluffy. If you over-whisk, the potatoes can become waxy in texture.)