Let’s face it, mashed potatoes are never the main event. They also aren’t bestowed with the same care, fuss, and attention as their roasted kin – the likes of which are shrouded in more mythology than an Ancient Greek epic poem. Sadly, mash tends to go unnoticed, instead propping up a meal and selflessly allowing the other ingredients to shine.
This article – or love letter – rightfully puts this bastion of comfort food front and centre, and serves up advice on how to make perfect mashed potatoes every time.
The best potatoes for mash
What makes a show-stopping mash? More than just the typical restaurant shoe-in of gallons of butter (although that is important) is the type of potato you use. Spuds that are high in starch and low in moisture will produce the richest, fluffiest mash. Types to look for are Marris Pipers, Russets, or King Edwards.
If you can’t find any of these varieties, a good rule of thumb is to stay away from waxy-skinned potatoes. Waxy potatoes tend to have a lower starch and higher moisture content, meaning they’ll have a thicker, gluey consistency when broken down and won’t absorb fat as readily, resulting in a dense, viscous texture.
The process and variables
Prep
Peel your potatoes and remove any eyes or impurities. They’re ugly but harmless and can be from bruising or minor crop diseases like black skirt or scab – appetisingly named, we know. Once a potato is peeled, submerge it in cold water while you prep the rest to prevent it oxidising and turning grey or brown. This, along with the previously mentioned disease removal, are mostly cosmetic fixes and won’t largely affect the flavour or texture. But we’re making the perfect mashed potatoes, which means we’re doing absolutely everything correctly.
Chop your peeled potatoes into large, equal chunks using a sharp knife. They’ll take longer to cook but will soak up less water and retain more of their flavour and texture. Once you’ve peeled and chopped all your potatoes, dash the water they’re in and refill your stockpot with fresh cold water before turning on the heat.
Boiling
Don’t add your raw potatoes straight into boiling water, as this will create a slightly harder, overcooked skin. Bringing them to temperature in cold water ensures even cooking throughout. Next, season your water – the potatoes will absorb the salt.
An aside: if you’ve oversalted a sauce or soup, simply drop a peeled and halved potato into your pot for 30 minutes. It will absorb any excess salt, bypassing the precarious balancing of acid and sweetness to mask the salinity.
Now, turn on the heat. Allow the water to reach a gentle boil before reducing it down to a simmer. Agitating the spuds with an aggressive boil will cause them to knock into each other and leak their precious starch and flavour into the water.
When gauging how long to boil potatoes for mash, there isn’t an exact science. If they’re a decent size, it should take around 15 minutes. To avoid guessing, and a miserably sodden mash, pierce them with a utility knife at 12 minutes in. If they grip onto the knife, they need longer. If the knife cleanly slides out, they’re done. Be extremely careful not to overboil them as they’ll absorb too much water, diluting their lovely flavour and ruining the texture.
Once they’ve reached the perfect cuisson, drain and leave the cooked spuds to sit for a few minutes. This allows some of the excess water to evaporate, leaving more space to absorb the delicious fats.
Mashing and combining
To address a point of contention: do you pass them through a sieve, or crush them with a masher? We’re making mashed potatoes, so we’ll use a potato masher. For our money, the mashed potato is a rustic stable and should therefore be served as such. By all means, use a fine sieve or a potato ricer if you’re making a potato purée; but this is mash, so we’re using a masher.
To aid the mashing, use a hot mixture of equal parts milk and double cream. Combine them first over a medium-low heat with your aromatics – the choice of which depends on the meal you’re making. Adding nothing to the mixture is a perfectly valid option, too, but popular combinations include hard herbs like rosemary or thyme with a bulb of garlic chopped through the middle. Strain out your aromatics and add the infused mixture to your mash in sections over low heat, combining it as you go. Determine the consistency of your mash by thinking about its place within your meal. For example, if it’s to seal a pie, what are the textures underneath and how best can your mashed potato accompany them?
Finally, finish with cubes of room temperature unsalted butter, folding them in before adding many generous cracks of black pepper.