Mashed Potatoes

Name: Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1¼ kg (2⅔ lb) floury or all-purpose potatoes (Maris Piper, Yukon Gold, Russet), peeled and cut into even 4 cm chunks; fine sea salt, 10 g per liter of cooking water, plus to taste; 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) whole milk; 100 g (7 tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed; white or black pepper

Rich, smooth and never gluey: riced potatoes, warm milk and plenty of butter

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 15 min
Total: 40 min
Level: Easy

Great mash is fluffy, smooth and rich, with no lumps and no glue. Simmer floury potatoes gently from cold, dry them briefly, push them through a ricer or food mill, and fold in hot milk and butter — never a blender.

Ingredients

1¼ kgfloury or all-purpose potatoes (Maris Piper, Yukon Gold, Russet) (2⅔ lb)peeled and cut into even 4 cm chunks
fine sea salt10 g per liter of cooking water, plus to taste
200 mlwhole milk (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
100 gunsalted butter (7 tbsp)cubed
white or black pepper

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: milk

Method

Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water by 3 cm, and add 10 g salt per liter. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer.
Cook until a knife slides into the center with no resistance and the edges are just starting to crumble, 15–20 minutes. 18 min
Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter together in a small pan until the butter melts. Keep hot.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot over low heat for 1 minute, shaking, to steam off excess water. 1 min
Pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill back into the pot (or mash thoroughly with a hand masher).
Fold in the hot milk and butter with a spatula, a third at a time, until smooth and creamy. Don't beat.
Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Why it works

Potato cells are packed with starch granules; a ricer separates the cells gently, but blenders or vigorous beating rupture them, releasing sticky starch that makes mash gluey. Starting in cold water cooks chunks evenly. Hot dairy blends in quickly and evenly; cold milk and butter chill the mash and need more working to incorporate, and extra working is what makes it gluey.

Common mistakes

Using a blender or food processor: you'll get wallpaper paste.
Waterlogged potatoes: drain well and dry them over heat.
Adding cold milk and butter: they don't absorb evenly. Heat them first.

Variations

Rich, restaurant-style: Use 250 g butter and 100 ml cream for 1 kg potatoes, beaten in a little at a time.
Garlic mash: Mash in 1 head of Garlic Confit cloves.
Champ: Simmer 6 sliced scallions in the milk before adding.

Make ahead and storage

Make up to 2 hours ahead and keep warm in a covered bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Leftovers keep 3 days; reheat with a splash of milk.