The most ubiquitous variety, russets, will mash smoothly and readily absorb whatever delicious additions you incorporate, whether you go with the classic butter and cream combination or mix things up with sour cream or even roasted garlic and olive oil.
Before you start – know your spuds
Not all potatoes are made to be mashed, what you need is one that's high in starch which will help them fluff up beautifully. Some of the best ones include Coliban, Desiree, Dutch Cream, Nicola, Sebago and Spunta.
Potatoes are generally considered "waxy" or "starchy." Waxy potatoes (like white potatoes and red potatoes) are more prone to gumminess when mashed, as opposed to starchy potatoes (like Yukon Golds and russets). Choose starchy potatoes or a mixture of waxy and starchy potatoes.
While Yukon Gold potatoes tend to be the best potato for mash, this variety isn't readily available in Australia. Aussie Taste recommend other yellow-fleshed potatoes, like Bintje, as a good alternative. These potatoes are small to medium sized and have a long oval shape.
When looking for a substitute for Yukon Golds, choose another waxy potato such as Red Bliss or another red potato. Baby or Fingerling potatoes are also good options. Try to stay away from starchy potatoes such as Russets for potato salad as they will not hold up.
Move over russet potatoes
These long, large potatoes with white flesh are usually considered the best for both mashing and frying because they're starchy (they're McDonald's potato of choice).
Choose higher starch potatoes like Russets or Yukon Golds for the fluffiest, smoothest and most flavor-packed mash. Russet varieties mash up light and fluffy, while yellow-fleshed potatoes like Yukon Gold have a naturally buttery flavor and creamy, dense consistency.
Desiree potatoes have a firm, creamy tasting flesh making them ideal for smooth mash or being cooked in a sauce, such as our favourite Potato Dauphinoise/Dauphinoise Potatoes. Desiree are available across the major retailers and are easily recognisable by their lovely red skin and light yellow flesh.
Lumpy mashed potatoes generally indicate undercooked potatoes. If you get to this point and realize you've undercooked your potatoes, just add a little bit of milk or cream, then cook the potatoes over low heat until the lumps begin to soften.
Peel the potatoes, chopping any larger ones so they're all a similar size. Cook in a large pan of boiling salted water over a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes, then tip back into the pan and mash well.
The most common potatoes we use for McDonald's fries include the Russet Burbank, Russet Ranger, Umatilla Russet and the Shepody—varieties known for producing a flavorful fry that's crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Because potatoes are on a spectrum, Allrecipes claims that the best mashed potatoes often use a 50/50 ratio of starchy and waxy potatoes. Using a combo of different spuds adds another dimension of flavor and keeps the mash light yet creamy. One iconic dynamic duo is the fluffy Russet and the buttery Yukon.
Dutch creams
One of Australia's most-loved potatoes, these waxy beauties are available both small and large, and are distinguishable by their long, oval shape. The yellow flesh results in a rich, buttery taste that is great for mash. Best for: mashing, boiling, roasting and pureeing.
Red Potatoes
are advantageous for boiling, pan frying, grilling, scalloping, and steaming. Try them in your salads, soups, chowders, and fried potato dishes. …have a smooth, thin light-red skin with a white inside. In fact, if you're not careful when cleaning them, you can easily scrub the skin right off!
Here's how to do it: For every pound of potatoes in your mash, drizzle 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the dish and fold it gently into the potatoes. If the mash is still too gluey for your liking, repeat the process with another tablespoon of butter.
Russet potatoes are arguably the best potatoes for baking, although they are also great for mashing and frying. The main reason thick-skinned Russet potatoes are perfect for baking and more is because they contain significant amounts of starch.
Kipfler potatoes are best suited for cooked applications such as baking, roasting, or boiling, but are not recommended for frying or mashing. Kipfler potatoes hold their shape well when cooked and make an excellent salad potato.
Kenyan farmers have started planting the Memphis potato variety which will allow them to supply American fast-food restaurant chain KFC.
Cover the potatoes with water and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of the butter, hot milk, sour cream, and salt to taste; mash thoroughly with a potato masher until very creamy.
Doing so is a science thing – soaking cut potatoes removes excess potato starch. This means fluffy mashed potatoes (and not gluey!)
Just give them a good rinse to remove any dirt and cut out any blemishes you see. Some people may prefer to peel the potatoes before boiling, but we would recommend you leave the skins on. This ensures that the nutrients and flavours are not lost during cooking and you get all those lovely vitamins too.
Yukon gold and other yellow potatoes are low- to medium-starch potatoes, and are well suited to roasting, mashing, baked dishes, and soups and chowders. Round red and round white potatoes have less starch and more moisture, making them best for boiling, but they can also be roasted or fried.