Mashed Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many potatoes per person to make mashed potatoes? ›

Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 pound potatoes per person for your feast.

The best potatoes for mashed potatoes are a starchy varieties like russet, Idaho or Yukon gold. Starchy potatoes are best for mashed potatoes because they have a fluffy, almost airy texture that breaks down easily.

Runny potatoes can happen for a few different reasons. Too much liquid: This is the most common reason. In the mashing process you may have added too much milk or broth. Boiled too long: Boiling your potatoes for too long can make them water-logged, which (you guessed it) can contribute to runny mashed potatoes.

Potatoes are like pasta, in that they leach starches into their cooking liquid. In the case of pasta, you want to reserve some of that liquid to give sauce a luscious shine and bind it to the noodles.

It depends entirely on the size of the potatoes. With large baking potatoes you may only get 5 or 6 large potatoes. However with small salad potatoes you may well get as many as 60 or so.

Instead of regular milk, pro chefs generally use a generous helping of buttermilk and plenty of half-and-half or (even better) heavy cream in their potatoes. If you think the bartenders up front are pouring heavy, they've got nothing on the cooks in the back who are in charge of the mashed potatoes.

Method. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the potatoes and boil for about 15 mins or until tender. Transfer to a colander and drain well, then return to the pan and set over a very low heat for 2 mins to dry completely.

As always, better quality ingredients equals better tasting food. Heavy Cream - While you, hypothetically, could use whole milk or something, I don't recommend it. Part of what makes these the creamiest mashed potatoes is the CREAM!

Why can't you add flour to mashed potatoes? ›

Regular flour can also be used to thicken your potatoes as well, but I don't love using it because its raw flavor needs to be cooked out, and it more noticeably dulls the flavor of the potatoes themselves.

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

Butter and cream require different temperatures in mashed potatoes. There's no denying that melted butter is a lot easier to mix into mashed potatoes than cold butter, but unfortunately, it's actually not the best idea.

There's no need to cool potatoes at all before mashing them. It's actually easier to mash them while warm. It also means better taste! Also, if you're using butter in them, the heat allows it to melt into them.

Mashed potatoes tip #1:

Always start cooking potatoes in cold water. Don't plop them into boiling water. Cook them at a modest simmer for about 20 minutes and they will have a smoother end texture and cook more evenly.

As a general rule of thumb, plan for around 1/2 to 3/4 cup of mashed potatoes per person. This estimation takes into account that some guests may have larger appetites, while others may prefer smaller portions. For twenty people, this would translate to 10 to 15 cups of mashed potatoes.

On average, potatoes lose about 25% of their weight during the peeling and cooking process. So, if you start with 10 pounds of potatoes, you'll end up with approximately 7.5 pounds of cooked potatoes. Based on this calculation, you have enough cooked potatoes to serve 30 people.

Before you buy your potatoes, you'll need to know how many people you plan to serve. In general, you'll want to plan to make between one third to one half pound of potatoes per person. So if you're cooking for a group of 10, plan to mash up anywhere from three and one third to five pounds of potatoes.