I love, love, love mashed potatoes! I have a feeling I'm not in the minority on this either, so I thought I'd post my own method. It's good folks, really!
I use Russet Potatoes exclusively for my Mashed Potato recipe. I also only use real butter, not margarine and I use whole milk (not cream). I'm also not a fan of the rustic (leave the skin on) type of method and other additional ingredients like chopped garlic and such. To me Mashed Potatoes are about smooth, entirely lump-free and rich consistency.
It's somewhat difficult to post this with accurate measurements as I do this on the fly and I have a real good feel about when to add more butter or milk. Here are the basics however.
Mashed Potatoes
1. 8 Russet Potatoes (roughly equal size pieces....about 8 per potato)
2. 3/4 tsp Salt
3. Bring to boil until fork-tender and drain.
4. Add 2 heaping TBS of butter and about 1/2 cup of whole milk.
5. Start pummeling the potatoes with a hand-masher and stirring around to get the bits on the side of the pan.
6. Too dry? Add more butter and a little more milk.
7. Still too dry? Add just a little more milk and taste.
Eventually, and it can take at least 5 minutes of vigorous stirring if not more, you'll find there are no more lumps. However, you may find that more butter and/or milk are required. Be very careful at this point and only use very small amounts to bring it the proper consistancy.
Making proper mashed potatoes is an art onto itself. It takes patience, time and experience to get it right.
I hope I have given you a starting point....
John
I use Russet Potatoes exclusively for my Mashed Potato recipe. I also only use real butter, not margarine and I use whole milk (not cream). I'm also not a fan of the rustic (leave the skin on) type of method and other additional ingredients like chopped garlic and such. To me Mashed Potatoes are about smooth, entirely lump-free and rich consistency.
It's somewhat difficult to post this with accurate measurements as I do this on the fly and I have a real good feel about when to add more butter or milk. Here are the basics however.
Mashed Potatoes
1. 8 Russet Potatoes (roughly equal size pieces....about 8 per potato)
2. 3/4 tsp Salt
3. Bring to boil until fork-tender and drain.
4. Add 2 heaping TBS of butter and about 1/2 cup of whole milk.
5. Start pummeling the potatoes with a hand-masher and stirring around to get the bits on the side of the pan.
6. Too dry? Add more butter and a little more milk.
7. Still too dry? Add just a little more milk and taste.
Eventually, and it can take at least 5 minutes of vigorous stirring if not more, you'll find there are no more lumps. However, you may find that more butter and/or milk are required. Be very careful at this point and only use very small amounts to bring it the proper consistancy.
Making proper mashed potatoes is an art onto itself. It takes patience, time and experience to get it right.
I hope I have given you a starting point....
John