Smooth and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Updated Oct. 23, 2024

Smooth and Creamy Mashed Potatoes
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(468)
Comments
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This recipe uses a masher and a mixer instead of a ricer or food mill to make smooth and creamy mashed potatoes. As long as you don’t mix excessively, the potatoes will come out light, not gummy. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 2pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed
  • 2pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed
  • Salt and freshly ground white or black pepper
  • 4garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • 3fresh thyme sprigs
  • cups whole milk
  • 12tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

384 calories; 20 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 778 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Fill a large saucepan about halfway with cool water and set aside. Peel the potatoes, then cut them into 1-inch pieces and transfer to the saucepan as you work to prevent browning. Add more water, if needed, to cover the potatoes by about an inch, then set the saucepan over medium-high heat. Salt the water generously and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a moderate boil. Cook the potatoes until the tines of a fork slide into the pieces with no resistance and they break apart easily when pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, combine the garlic, thyme, 2½ cups milk and 8 tablespoons butter in a separate medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and continue to cook while you wait for the potatoes.

  3. Step 3

    Drain the potatoes in a colander, then return them to the same saucepan and let sit for several seconds to allow excess moisture to evaporate. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until all of the pieces are broken down into a coarse purée.

  4. Step 4

    Remove the saucepan with the milk mixture from the heat, pluck out and discard the thyme sprigs, then pour the mixture over the potatoes (reserve the saucepan). Season the mixture with salt and pepper, then, using a hand mixer on low speed, mix until the liquid is incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and mix until just until the potatoes are light and smooth. (If you don’t have a hand mixer, you can just stir them vigorously with a whisk.) Taste the potatoes and season with more salt and pepper as needed, then smooth the surface into an even layer with a spatula.

  5. Step 5

    In the reserved saucepan, warm the remaining ¼ cup milk and 4 tablespoons butter until the butter is melted, then pour over the surface of the potatoes (do not stir). Cover the saucepan with a lid and let it sit at room temperature or in a warm spot on the back of the stove until you’re ready to serve the potatoes. (They’ll keep in this state for several hours.)

  6. Step 6

    Before serving, uncover the mashed potatoes and warm over medium-low heat, folding gently with a spatula to incorporate the liquid on the surface and heat the mixture evenly, until hot. (The mashed potatoes will keep, covered, in the saucepan for several hours before serving. Scrape any leftovers into a lidded container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
468 user ratings
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Comments

During Step 3: my grandmother taught me to cover the pot with a dish towel, while the drained potatoes sit for a few minutes. Towel absorbs steamy moisture from the spuds and will give you fluffier results! She was always right.

If I make this recipe 2-3 days ahead of Thanksgiving, should I incorporate the butter/milk mixture before refrigerating or do this last step when I’m reheating the potatoes on Thursday?

I’ve made a recipe similar to this one ahead and the recipe called for saving some of the water you boil the potatoes in. My recipe asked for only 1/2c, but I’d recommend at least twice as much, maybe more. Add some of the starchy water to loosen the potatoes when you reheat gently. I’ve been making them for almost 10 years and are requested every year, even when I’m not hosting.

I am perplexed by the swathe of conflicting results here. Lots say way too much milk, while others say perfect as is?! I would always use a ricer, for super smooth, soft and beautiful potatoes - I fear they’d become claggy/sticky with hand beater…

This recipe seems more complicated than necessary. My variation of Joel Robuchon's famous mashed potatoes uses russet potatoes, butter, whole milk and salt. I peel the potatoes before cooking, drain in a colander when they are done, put them through a ricer into the original pot, which I then heat to remove the moisture. I then slowly add the butter followed by the heated milk, mixing with a rubber spatula. Salt and pepper to taste. The potatoes are creamy and light. Never fails!

My brother and I used to go through all this fuss including a potato ricer. I then discovered Costco mashed potatoes in a crock pot. You just start heating them up a few hours before dinner. They are as good if not better then homemade

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