Uncategorized

My mom makes the BEST mashed potatoes of all time.  So much so, that I don’t eat them anywhere else. Even if they come with my entree at a restaurant, I will take a bite and be bummed that they don’t even compare (think I’m being dramatic? Try them… then we’ll talk :).

Anyway with the holiday season up on us, and with cold weather in FULL swing, I wanted to share some of my mom’s tips on how to create the perfect comfort food – Mashed Potatoes.

Tip 1. Russet potatoes are best for light, fluffy, whipped potatoes. Yukon Gold tend to disenegrate more easily and need to be watched.

Tip 2.  Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes.  You want all cubes to be uniform in size as to insure even cooking throughout.

Tip 3. After cutting each potato into cubes, make sure to immediately transfer to a pot filled with cold water (DO NOT cut all potatoes THEN put them in water).

Tip 4. Make sure to salt your pot of water (also remember to check your potatoes before salting them at the end of the recipe – more likely than not, they will not need much salting).

Tip 5. Potatoes will be ready to remove for water once you can fully pierce them with a fork.

Tip 6. Never let potatoes cool after draining.  Instantly remove them from water, drain them in a colinder and transfer to a mixing bowl (they will get a bluish hue otherwise).

Tip 7. You can transfer completed potatoes to a cast iron 13×9 pan, cover in foil and keep warm over low heat until read to serve (you also can heat them in a crock-pot on the warm setting).

Tip 8. Her standard recipe is found here, but feel free to make substitutions to your liking – namely roasted garlic for garlic mashed potatoes or wasabi powder for wasabi mashed potatoes (GREAT with an asian influenced marinated fish or tofu).

Do you have any special mashed potato tips?