Ingredients
- 1kg potatoes (Yukon or Russet are best!)
- 120ml of milk
- 50g unsalted butter
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Basic Mashed Potatoes Recipe
- 1kg potatoes (Yukon or Russet are best!)
- 120ml of milk
- 50g unsalted butter
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized-chunks. This will help them cook more evenly. Place the potato chunks in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Add a pinch of salt to the water.
Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook the potatoes until they are fork-tender. This usually takes about 15-20 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until the butter has melted. Keep warm.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them well and return them to the pot.
Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the potatoes until they reach your desired consistency. Some people prefer smooth mashed potatoes, while others like them slightly chunky.
Slowly pour in the warm milk and butter mixture while mashing the potatoes. This will help make them creamy and flavoursome.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, adjusting the quantities as needed. Give the mashed potatoes a final stir to ensure everything is well combined. Serve immediately as a delicious side dish.
3 ways to jazz up simple mashed potato
- Chop up antipasti artichokes and add to a pan with some crushed garlic. Once starting to colour add your mash and then grate in a mound of pecorino. Season with white pepper.
- Fry off some pancetta until golden brown. Add a portion of mashed potato and grate in some creamy comté to balance out the saltiness of the pancetta.
- Into the pan with a pile of chopped chorizo. This releases the most amazing colourful oil so no need to add quite so much butter in the first instance. Then add in some grated red Leicester to amp up that delightful orange hue!