Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, my recipe is indulgent with lots of cream & butter & comes with 4 ways to cook the potatoes.
If you cook them in the microwave they cook in around 20 minutes, on the stove they cook in around 35 minutes and if you bake the potatoes around 90 minutes.
Perfect Mash Potatoes Every Time
There are some that would love to tell you that there is only one way to make mashed potatoes. They are wrong, as with all cooking, there are many ways to ‘crack an egg’.
We all like different things, there are even folk out there who like “lumpy” mash, but for me, they need to be loaded with butter and cream.
They also need to be fluffy and hold some shape and not be like French pomme puree.
I make mashed tatties all of the time and they appear on the side of loads of my pictures.
But they also form the body of fishcakes like my smoked haddock fishcakes and tinned mackerel fishcakes.
Let’s not forget their role in topping pies like my classic lamb shepherd’s pie, fish finger pie (pictured below) and sausage and mash pie.
Mash also sits right at the heart of my childhood favourite recipe, cheese and potato pie!
The Best Potatoes for Mashing
Your first choice when making mashed potatoes is your choice of spud!
Not only is this your first choice but it is the most important choice. Choose poorly and your mash won’t really mash.
The secret is choosing a floury potato, depending on where you are in the world the varieties will vary. The characteristics of the potato will not.
They contain lots of starch, this makes them light and fluffy when cooked.
Some good varieties to use are:
- King Edwards.
- Maris Piper.
- Estima.
- Russet.
- Idaho.
- Desiree (at a push).
Incidentally, the same characteristics that make them great for mashing also make them good potatoes for both baking and turning into proper chip shop chips or fries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I store leftover mashed potato?
First of all… leftover mash? Mash will store in the fridge for a few days and in the freezer for a few months.
It is essential that you add the cream and butter before saving, I prefer to store mine in strong sealable plastic bags in two-person serving sizes.
How do I reheat leftover mash?
I personally think that the best way to reheat with frozen or refrigerated mash is the “boil in the bag” method.
This is why I store leftover mash in strong resealable bags. Simply bring a pan of water to the boil and drop the bag in the water and gently simmer until the potatoes are steaming hot.
Depending on your pan you may want to stick a trivet in the bottom to prevent the plastic from coming into contact with the base.
What’s the best way to cook the potatoes?
I usually boil potatoes for mash because it always seems convenient for the way that I cook.
However, I personally think that baked potatoes make the best mash because there is no water which leads to a creamier mash.
You can also bake potatoes in a microwave and air fryer baked potatoes are genius too!
Do I have to use a potato ricer?
No, you could use a masher but as far as I am concerned a potato ricer makes the very best mash.
The only downside is that they are a bit of a headache to clean, but I think that extra effort is well worth it considering the results.
Serving Suggestions
You will find mashed potatoes on the side of countless dishes on my website, they are the ultimate comfort food side dish for me.
Mash is superb with meatballs, it is pictured on this page with my honey and mustard chicken meatballs, but it is great with my black pudding meatballs and even my minted lamb meatballs.
It’s also great with casseroles and stews, it is pictured below with my pheasant and bacon casserole, but it is great with dishes as diverse as wild boar stew, pork tenderloin with prunes, coq au vin, braised steak and onions and beef bourguignon.
As far as I am concerned, it is also the obligatory side for buttery garlic chicken Kyiv (pictured above) too. It would also be remiss of me not to give a shout out to bangers and mash with onion gravy!
If you are an offal lover then mashed potato with braised liver and onions is magical! It’s also glorious with my slow cooker pork loin and roast ham hock recipes.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop, air fryer, oven or microwave.
- Potato peeler if you are boiling potatoes.
- 20m or 8″ saucepan if you are boiling potatoes.
- Kitchen paper.
- 15cm or 6″ saucepan for heating cream.
- Potato ricer, you could use a masher if you wish.
- Spatula for combining the dairy.
- Spoon and knife for preparing potatoes if you are using one of the baking methods.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
Perfect Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Mashed potatoes are a quintessentially British side dish, they are typically rich buttery and indulgent. This recipe is the perfect start to either serving mashed potatoes as a side or indeed in anything from fish cakes to cottage pie.
Ingredients
- 500g (3½ Cups) Floury Potatoes
- 50g (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Butter at Room Temperature
- 50ml (3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp) Double Cream, Heavy Cream in the US
- Salt to taste, this will depend on your cooking method
Instructions
Boiled Potato Cooking Method:
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized pieces. Roughly about the same size as a ping pong ball.
- Boil in generously salted water until cooked (I use a 20cm or 8" saucepan and 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt). This will take somewhere between 25 and 35 minutes.
- Place the potatoes in a colander and allow them to dry off and steam dry for a couple of minutes.
- When the potatoes look 'dry' pass them through a potato ricer.
Baked Potato Cooking Method:
- Choose 2 or 3 potatoes roughly the same size as each other.
- Prick the potatoes with a fork.
- Wash the potatoes and generously sprinkle with salt.
- Place in the oven at 180°C or 350°F and bake until cooked. This will take anywhere from 60 to 75 minutes.
- Just before you remove the potatoes heat the cream on the stovetop. You do not need to boil it, just heat it up.
- Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the insides of the potato and pass the potato through a potato ricer.
Air Fryer Baked Potato Cooking Method:
- Choose 2 or 3 potatoes roughly the same size as each other.
- Prick the potatoes with a fork.
- Wash the potatoes and generously sprinkle with salt.
- Place them in the air fryer, cook at 200°C or 400°F and bake until cooked. This will take 40-50 minutes, flip the potatoes over halfway through the cooking time.
Microwave Baked Potato Cooking Method:
- Choose 2 or 3 potatoes roughly the same size as each other.
- Prick the potatoes with a fork.
- Wash the potatoes and generously sprinkle with salt.
- Place the baked potatoes in a microwave and cover them with kitchen paper and microwave for 4 minutes on full power, the flip recover with paper and give them another 4 minutes. Then cook in 1-2 minute bursts until the potatoes are cooked through. The total time will depend on the power of your microwave and the potato size.
Finishing the Mash with Dairy:
- Just before you remove the potatoes heat the cream on the stovetop. You do not need to boil it, just heat it up.
- Add the cream and the butter to the riced potato and stir to bring it all together with a spatula, do not overwork the potatoes, just get it all combined.
- Have a taste and add salt to taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 498Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 193mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 6gSugar: 4gProtein: 7g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Jon
Tuesday 15th of October 2019
The liver and onions with bacon and mash looks terrific. And you're spot on about using a potato ricer -- absolutely the best way to make mash.
Incidentally, have you read "The Man Who Ate Everything" by Jeffrey Steingarten? There's a whole chapter in that -- "Totally Mashed" -- devoted to mashed potato. (And the rest of it is well worth reading, too.)
Brian Jones
Wednesday 16th of October 2019
Cheers John, a real favourite in our house and I'll defo take a look for that book!