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No holiday gathering is complete without a creamy bowl of mashed potatoes. While everyone has their own version of the perfect recipe, there are a few mashed potato pitfalls to avoid for the best results.
Sticking Only to Russet Potatoes
There are two main types of potatoes: starchy and waxy. While russets and Idahos are on the starchier side, new potatoes are on the waxier end. These variations can make a big difference in texture and taste.
Russet potatoes yield light, fluffy mashed potatoes, while waxy potatoes maintain their shape better, making them great for roasting or salads. For the best mash, combine russets with a balanced potato like Yukon Gold. This mix provides a hearty texture, perfect for incorporating dairy without being overly dense.
It’s easy to forget to clean potatoes before cooking, but it's a mistake to overlook. Potatoes, which grow beneath the soil, are often covered in dirt, and washing them is essential before boiling or simmering them.
It may seem like a no-brainer, but many people forget to wash their potatoes before cooking. Since potatoes grow underground, they come with dirt that you don't want in your meal. After all, you're immersing them in water during cooking.
Simmering a dirty potato causes the dirt and grime clinging to its skin to leach into the cooking water, which the potato then soaks up. The result? A potato with a muddy taste.
Cutting potatoes into smaller pieces might seem like a time-saving trick, but it's important to be cautious. While smaller cuts can speed up cooking, cutting them too finely might make the potatoes soak up excessive amounts of water.
While chopping potatoes into smaller pieces can reduce cooking time, be cautious not to make them too small. Cutting them too finely can result in the potatoes absorbing too much water, affecting their texture.
If the potatoes absorb too much water, they won't be able to fully absorb the butter, sour cream, or any other flavorful ingredients you mix in later. This will result in watery mashed potatoes.
On the other hand, cutting the potatoes too small in an attempt to cook them faster isn't ideal either. You don't want them to be so big that they cook unevenly, either. About an inch and a half is the perfect size for potato chunks—small enough to cook quickly, but large enough to ensure even cooking.
Undercooking them
Undercooked potatoes are safe to eat in small amounts, but they have a bitter taste and a crunchy texture, which makes them tough to mash. The end result is lumpy, gritty mashed potatoes—which no one wants.
Adding Potatoes to Boiling Water
When boiling starchy foods like potatoes, avoid overcooking the outer layer before the inner part becomes soft. Dropping raw potatoes straight into a pot of boiling water will likely cause the outside to turn mushy by the time the inside is ready to eat.
To achieve even cooking, make sure everything in the pot reaches the same temperature simultaneously. Place potato pieces in the pot, cover them with water until they're just submerged, and then turn on the heat. Rather than boiling them aggressively, maintain a steady simmer for better results.
Insufficient Seasoning of Potatoes
Potatoes are naturally starchy and require a generous amount of salt to enhance their flavor. Salting the water where your potatoes boil is essential for seasoning the potatoes throughout. Under-seasoning means only the outer part will have flavor, which makes up very little of the final dish.
Cooking potatoes in well-salted water—about a tablespoon of salt per pound of potatoes—ensures the potatoes are seasoned all the way through. Once mashed, they will require much less salt at the end.
Choosing the Wrong Tool for Mashing
A food mill or potato ricer is ideal for this task. Using a food processor to mash your cooked potatoes will result in a gluey texture, while forks and handheld mashers tend to be inconsistent, leaving some parts over-mashed and others completely intact.
A food mill or ricer provides the perfect balance of mechanical and physical effort. Their holes push the potatoes through evenly and consistently with minimal exertion. If using a stand mixer, be sure to use the paddle attachment for mashing.
Skimping on Butter
If there’s ever a perfect time to indulge with extra butter, it’s during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Certain gourmet mashed potatoes, particularly those in French cuisine, may call for more than a stick of butter for every pound of potatoes. You don’t need to go overboard, but don’t hold back either.
Relying on Butter Alone
That said, potatoes require more than butter to truly shine. Whether you prepare them with half-and-half or finish with whole milk and sour cream, a touch more dairy creates a silky texture and enhances the flavors in the dish.
Skipping Fresh Herbs
If you're mashing your potatoes with any amount of dairy, be sure to take advantage of it. Potatoes mash best when combined with warm liquids. To give your potatoes that extra flair, infuse your milk with a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, or sage before heating. Even a single bay leaf can elevate the flavor of basic spuds. While you're at it, add a teaspoon of black peppercorns (just remember to remove them), a piece of lemon zest, or a few shavings of nutmeg.
Don't Waste Your Potato Water
Should you mash your potatoes ahead of time? The short answer is yes, but only if you keep some of the starchy water from boiling the potatoes. If your potatoes begin to firm up, just add a bit of the warm cooking liquid to loosen them. Add it slowly though—you can always add more, but you can't take it out once it's in.
