Creamy Mashed Potatoes

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Is there anything more satisfying than a scoop of mashed potatoes? Smooth and creamy, these mashed potatoes make the perfect nest for turkey gravy, a pat of butter, or a sprinkle of chives. You need this easy recipe for mashed potato nirvana!

I have a thing about holidays. I don’t want to think about the next one until the current one is past (which, by the way, is not ideal for a food blogger).

I’ve had to train myself to plan ahead, to start thinking about Thanksgiving recipes in September, giving myself enough time to work out the kinks before I share them with you.

But outside of this blog I am very single-minded about the seasons and holidays. Perhaps even a little rigid. I don’t want to hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving and definitely, absolutely, not before Halloween.

It drives me bonkers when the Halloween catalogs start pouring in in August. And back-to-school supplies in July? Fuggedaboutit.

But in the same way that I don’t want to think about an upcoming holiday while I’m enjoying the current one, as soon as it’s over I’m instantly ready to move on.

When I passed out my last piece of Halloween candy, I was done. On November 1st I packed up the ghosts, orange lights, hanging spiders and tossed the jack o’lanterns in the trash.

I’ve moved on to burlap table runners, stockpiling pie dough, freezing bags of nut crumble and I literally dream about roasted brussels sprouts tossed with chunks of bacon. Of course there’s the turkey, but today we’re starting with a family staple: creamy mashed potatoes.

Growing up, it was milk, butter, salt, and a masher for our spuds. My version isn’t too far off, but for Thanksgiving I up the ante with heavy cream for richness (although whole milk will work just fine) and use a ricer in place of a masher.

I know, I know, you need another kitchen tool like I need another pair of shoes. But think of the ricer like I think of my favorite Frye boots, a workhorse that never goes out of style.

And I hope you’re on board with me for all things Thanksgiving over the next couple weeks as I have some tasty dishes coming your way. Just promise me you won’t even think of humming a Christmas carol.

Let’s make Creamy Mashed Potatoes

1. Cover the peeled and cut potatoes with salted cool water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until tender.
2. Drain and use a ricer (my preference) or a masher to mash the potatoes.
3. Add the butter, cream, salt, and pepper.
4. Stir until smooth.

Tips for success

• A ricer makes for smooth, light, creamy and dare I say perfect mashed potatoes. Take a look at the video below to see why I’m singing the ricer’s praises.
• Warm the butter and cream before stirring it into the potatoes so it doesn’t cool down the warm potatoes.
• While these potatoes are best eaten immediately, you can keep them warm over a just simmering double boiler. Take wax butter wrappers and lay it over the top of the potatoes (butter side down), cover with a lid, and keep warm until serving.
• To make one day ahead, cover the mashed potatoes tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. To serve, warm them gently in a pot or saucepan with additional warm cream and butter.

Update Notes: This post was originally published in November 2016 but was republished with tips in November 2018.