mashed potatoes are a must especially when it comes to the holidays it’s basically the side dish that keeps on giving am i right surprisingly there are quite a few mistakes when it comes to mastering the art of mashed potatoes we went through about 20 pounds of potatoes to bring you the ultimate creamy super smooth mashed potatoes they’re seriously so good you’re going to want to lick the plate there’s two types of potatoes starchy and waxy for mashed potatoes you want a starchy potato a potato with higher starch and low moisture will yield a fluffier inside we’re using yukon gold potatoes they’re actually somewhere in between a starchy and a waxy potato they’re harder to over mash and have a foolproof creamy texture we’re going to peel the potatoes before boiling some people like to leave the skin on their mashed potatoes which creates a little bit more texture but for really creamy silky smooth mashed potatoes with a uniform texture it’s going to work a lot better with the skin off quick tip to keep your potatoes from discoloring and oxidizing as they sit out place them in a bowl of cold water while you work after you’ve filled your potatoes cut them into one-inch cubes this way they’re going to cook more quickly and evenly add your potatoes to a pot of cold water and add a very generous pinch of salt this is going to help build the layers of flavor as the potatoes cook which means you’ll need less salt down the line now we’re going to bring the potatoes to a soft boil over high heat once you’ve reached a soft boil reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 12 minutes you’ll know your potatoes are ready for mashing when they’re fork tender go ahead and remove the pot from the heat and drain the potatoes through a colander at this point you’re actually going to place the potatoes back in the pot over medium-high heat and stir them around for two to three minutes that’s just going to release any excess moisture at the end of this the potatoes should be super dry when it comes to mashed potatoes most people use a potato masher or even a fork some people use a potato ricer for a more uniform texture which we’re also really big fans of if you don’t have any of those tools and want to get a similar result you can use a fine mesh sieve place the boiled potatoes in the sieve and use a spatula to gently push them down i’m not gonna lie this definitely takes more muscle and is more time consuming but the potatoes are gonna be so silky smooth and beautiful it’s really worth the effort whatever you do do not use a food processor or a hand mixer this is going to overwork the potatoes creating a gummy like paste and let’s be real no one wants that now it wouldn’t be mashed potatoes without adding some butter you want to use unsalted butter because it allows you to control the amount of salt in your mashed potatoes we made so many variations of mashed potatoes and taste tested all of them we tried cold butter milk melted butter sour cream cream cheese heavy cream and after all that we decided to stick with melted butter and heavy cream while some people do like sour cream and cream cheese we found that the flavor really stood out and took away from that uniform consistency and texture that we were looking for quick tip you always want to add your butter before adding any cream or milk this is going to ensure that the texture of the potato remains firm before being softened by all that cream if you add your butter and your cream all at once it’s going to create this really soupy texture whereas if you go gradually it’ll be nice and smooth and creamy so remember how we talked about building flavors this is another time where you’re gonna season it with salt add your heavy cream to a small saucepan over medium-high heat this is also the moment when you can enhance the flavor of your mashed potatoes we’re going to add some rosemary sprigs and garlic but you can get creative with other herbs and ingredients as well bring the heavy cream mixture to a simmer once it’s simmering for a few minutes and that cream is getting really infused with flavor you’re going to strain out the garlic and the rosemary through a sieve and then add just the cream to the potatoes little by little until they’re fully incorporated remember if you add all the heavy cream at once it’s just going to become a soupy mess as you fold the heavy cream into the mashed potatoes you’re going to see this really smooth texture start to come together i mean it’s so beautiful it’s that easy your potatoes are finally ready to serve so because it’s tasty we’re going to top it with more butter we’re also going to add some freshly ground black pepper some chives you can really experiment with your toppings but this is a pretty classic preparation or if it’s that special time of year pass the gravy baby i mean come on what’s not to love and there you have it the creamiest mashed potatoes you’ve ever laid eyes on or in our case are taste buds it’s like luscious they’re really they’re luscious mashed potatoes they’re luscious that’s the only way to describe them kind of sexy like have we i mean we ate so many of them it’s insane so many

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