It may be controversial (and certainly not Michelin Star approved) but proper mashed potatoes consists of three ingredients (and three ingredients only); potatoes, a little salt and butter. The method you also use to mash them is important too, to make proper mashed potatoes you should either user a masher or a ricer.
In my opinion if you start adding milk/cream to your mash and then passing it through a sieve to make it really, really smooth then you no longer have mashed potatoes as they have not been mashed, they have been sieved and have become more of a puree than a mash.
At the end of the day, make mashed potatoes the way you like them!
Portions: 1+
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium sized potatoes per person
- Salt
- Butter
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Knife
- Chopping Board
- Masher or Ricer
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut up in to equally sized pieces
- Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water
- Bring to the boil
- Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are starting to fall apart
- When the potatoes are cooked, turn off the heat, drain the water from the saucepan and then put the saucepan either to one side on a trivet or on a cooker ring that has not been used and is still cold
- Allow some of the steam to come off of the potatoes
- Move the saucepan back to the ring that it was cooked on (the residual heat will help keep the potatoes warm whilst mashing)
- Add a little butter and mash with a masher.
- Taste and add salt as required.
Ricer
If you want to use a ricer then you will need a bowl to rice them in to, then add some butter and mix with a fork - transfer back to the saucepan (with a lid on) to keep them warm before you serve them.
Jazzing Them Up A Bit
Here are a few things you can add to your mashed potatoes (and still call them mashed potatoes) that jazz's them up a bit:
- Chives
- Cheese
- Garlic
- Spring Onions
- A tiny pinch of Bicarbonate of Soda for extra fluffiness
If you start adding too many other things like cabbage etc. then you no longer have mashed potatoes, you will end up with dishes like Colcannon etc..