Best Mashed Potatoes

Side view of mashed potatoes in a white bowl topped with melted butter and chopped parsley.

These mashed potatoes will win hearts, well... that might be an exaggeration, but it's worked for me! They're incredibly fluffy, rich, and pair well with so many main dishes. They're our go-to for every single holiday and I always get recipe requests.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Author : Kari Peters

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 416kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes about 4 medium sized potatoes
8 tbsp salted butter melted, 1 stick or 4 ounces, or 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, ghee, or vegan butter
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup half and half heated until hot, add more as needed, see notes for dairy free.
For dairy free: use any dairy free milk of choice or my favorite which is chicken stock

Instructions

Peel the potatoes if desired. Then place the potatoes in a large pot and fill with water until the potatoes are covered by at least 1" of water.
Bring the potatoes to a boil, cover with a lid, and then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Simmer the potatoes until tender, about 20-30 minutes.
When the potatoes are done, drain off the water. Place the drained potatoes into a mixer bowl or large bowl with room for mashing them by hand.
Mash the potatoes until most of the lumps are gone with the melted butter. Scrape down the sides several times to help eliminate lumps.
Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
Then add the heated half and half or broth until the desired texture is reached. Keep in mind that mashed potatoes thicken a bit as they sit.
Serve immediately.

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Notes

I've found the amount of liquid I add varies every single time I make these. Just add milk/half and half until your desired texture is reaches since the amount of moisture present in the potatoes will never be the same twice.

For dairy free: use any dairy free milk of choice or my favorite which is chicken stock

The nutritional information was calculated with 1/2 cup half and half.

This recipe was adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Nutrition