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Smooth and creamy, these simple mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish to all your favorite family meals. Basic ingredients come together to create a flavorful, buttery, and creamy mashed potato that everyone will love!
Looking for more side dish recipes? You don’t want to miss our Homemade Mac and Cheese, Garlic Butter Smashed Potatoes, and our Twice Baked Potatoes.
Why I Love This Recipe:
- Family Favorite:Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food and regularly appear for family dinners.
- Simple Ingredients:we are using basic ingredients to make a simple mashed potato. You can dress these potatoes up with fresh herbs or cheeses, but this is a great, basic mashed potato recipe you can build off of.
- Versatile:With this base for making a simple mashed potato, you can add any extra flavors, make them cheesy, or use them to make my favorite mashed potato casserole!
Ingredients:
- Potatoes:Use a starchy potato such as Yukon gold or russet potatoes. Gold potatoes are often a preferred option thanks to their creaminess when mashed and their natural subtle buttery flavoring.
- Milk:Use your milk of preference. You could also use a heavy cream if you prefer.
- Sour Cream:This allows us to use a little less butter and gives a light tang to the potatoes. Be careful not to add extra sour cream, which can be overpowering.
How Many Potatoes Per Person
You want to allow about 1/2 pound of raw potato per person. If you expect 15 people, you should make about 8 pounds of potatoes. Always round up.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes:
Peel and evenly chop the potatoes;this helps them cook evenly. Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover withcold water. If using garlic, add the minced garlic in with the potatoes. Add sea salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Boil the potatoesuntil they are fork-tender. Once the water starts boiling, it can take about 10-15 minutes to cook the potatoes.
Drainand dry the potatoes.This is a quick and easy step of just adding the potatoes back into the pot, placing them back over the heat for a brief 2 minutes, and letting more of the excess moisture evaporate off.
Mash the potatoeswith a hand masher, ricer, or hand mixer. Be careful not to overmix, resulting in a starchy and gummy texture.
Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until the butter melts. This keeps your mashed potatoes nice and warm and helps them absorb moisture more easily. Then pour this into the potatoes, stirring with the masher or a spoon, until you have a creamy texture. Stir in the sour cream until combined. Add more milk or butter as needed to get the desired consistency.
Make Ahead:
- Prep the ingredients:Peel and chop the potatoes and chill in a large pot or bowl of ice-cold water for up to 4 hours before boiling. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Make earlier in the day:keep the potatoes warm in a slow cooker until ready to serve.
- Make up to 3 days ahead:Follow the recipe completely, adding an extra 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of milk. Place the mashed potatoes in a large sealed container or store them in a casserole dish covered.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat according to directions.
Reheating:
- Oven:Bake covered at 350 for about 30-35 minutes until heated through.
- Stovetop:Add to a large pot, cover, and heat over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding milk or butter as needed.
- Slow Cooker:Cook on low for 2-3 hours, then switch to keep on warm.
What to serve these potatoes with:
- Garlic Herb Prime Rib
- Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Gravy or Swedish Meatballs
- Julia Child’s Turkey
- Smoked Turkey
SavePinPrint
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 20 minutes mins
Total: 30 minutes mins
Servings: 6
Author: Serene
This recipe for the Perfect Mashed Potato comes together with basic ingredients and creates a smooth, creamy, and buttery mashed potato that pairs with all your favorite dishes.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds potatoes russet or gold
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Peel and chop the potatoes. Potatoes should be cut to about 1 inch squares.
Place potatoes in large pot, cover with water, add the minced garlic and sprinkle in some salt.
Heat over medium high heat. Once boiling, allow the potatoes to simmer about 10-15 minutes until they are tender and easily mashed with a fork.
Strain the water out, return the potatoes to the pot, place over low heat and cook while stirring the potatoes for another 1-2 minutes to help dry the potatoes.
Mash the potatoes using your desired method.
Pour milk and butter into small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, just until the milk is warm. Do not bring to a boil.
Add the warm milk mixture to the potatoes and stir together. Stir in sour cream and salt (add more salt to taste if needed).
Video
Equipment
Notes
If potatoes are too thick you can add a bit more milk. Add in small amounts and mix in completely.
- Storage:Store the potatoes in a sealed container in the refrigerator. These potatoes can be stored in the fridge for up 3-4 days.
- Reheating: Mashed potatoes can be reheated in the oven or in a large skillet on the stovetop. Simply add a small amount of milk into the potatoes while they are heating or after armed to help get the desired consistency. They will be slightly dried out after refrigerating.
Make Ahead:
- Prep the ingredients:Peel and chop the potatoes and chill in a large pot or bowl of ice-cold water for up to 4 hours before boiling. Or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Make earlier in the day:keep the potatoes warm in a slow cooker until ready to serve.
- Make up to 3 days ahead:Follow the recipe completely, adding an extra 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of milk. Place the mashed potatoes in a large sealed container or store them in a casserole dish covered.
- Freezing: Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat according to directions.
Reheating:
- Oven:Bake covered at 350 for about 30-35 minutes until heated through.
- Stovetop: Add to a large pot, cover, and heat over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding milk or butter as needed.
- Slow Cooker:Cook on low for 2-3 hours, then switch to keep on warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 16mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Recipe first published October 15, 2019 updated October 26, 2022, and November 2023.
Photography by the talented @KJandCompany.co
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