Restaurant mashed potatoes often taste better due to the use of higher-fat content ingredients like butter and cream, which enhance the flavor and creaminess.
Restaurants keep their mashed potatoes hot for 3 hours using warming drawers or insulated containers. Also, they use warming elements like adding boiling cream, gravy, or the combination thereof to make the potato heated over long hours.
The skin of a potato contains many vitamins and minerals, plus fiber and iron. High in vitamins C and B6, which help aid the immune system, skin-on mashed potatoes over Thanksgiving could help fight off the holiday sniffles. The peels also add a toothsome texture and an earthy flavor to the dish.
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.
A potato ricer is widely regarded as the best tool for mashed potatoes that are smooth and fluffy.
In addition to choosing an aromatic, floury potato variety, there are other components that make up the distinctive taste of really good mashed potatoes. Basically, it all comes down to fat. In addition to milk, and occasionally cream, one of the most popular ways to build flavor into your mash is through butter.
If your mashed potatoes are done too soon, they could cool or dry out before the meal. Start the potatoes during the last hour of cooking, when you start the gravy. If that's too much, keep mashed potatoes warm in a slow cooker. Stir in a little warm milk or butter for added moisture.
Instead, it's better to use cold butter, so all of the starch is equally coated in the fat and milk solids. Whereas it's important to use cold butter for mashed potatoes, you'll want to add cream that's warm or room temperature.
Mashed potatoes can sit out for two hours at room temperature. Any longer than that, they can enter the “danger zone,” which are unsafe temperatures that promote the growth of bacteria. If temperatures go above 90 °F, mashed potatoes can only sit out for one hour.
Yukon Gold may be the most popular type of variety for its great taste and use in a wide variety of different dishes, but a variety like the popular sweet potato Jewel Yam or a type you can harvest earlier in the season may be more ideal for you.
"Yes, it's good to prick them," says Brennan Smith, a faculty member of the School of Food Science at University of Idaho. "It pokes holes in the skin, which allows steam to escape. Otherwise, they could explode—it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens every once in a while.
However, using the same quantity of milk and butter, but heating them separately and adding the melted butter first to the mashed potatoes, you end up with a butterier tasting potato dish. The fat absorbs into the cells of the potato, which have swelled and pulled apart from one another.
There's no other way to get that fluffy consistency. Milk straight out of the fridge will cool down otherwise piping-hot potatoes. Warm the milk in a small saucepan before incorporating it into your mash.
Tips for the Best Mashed Potatoes
Start cooking the potatoes in cold water: This ensures that the potatoes cook evenly. Otherwise, if you start with hot or boiling water, the outsides of the potatoes cook and soften while the middles are still hard and crunchy.
Why Should You Use Sour Cream in Your Mashed Potatoes? Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!
If you've added too much milk to your mashed potatoes, try adding a small amount of potato flakes or sour cream to thicken them up. You can also add more cooked potatoes to balance out the excess liquid.
They need to be soft all the way through (or you'll have lumps!) Should I soak my potatoes before making mashed potatoes? You can, but I don't. If you do – just soak them for 5 minutes and rinse.
That's liquid you DON'T want, since it'll make your mash all watery. 6. Do NOT add cold liquid. Make sure the milk or cream you add to your potatoes is HOT.
Adding cold dairy to your mashed potatoes also cools the mash down — and very few people like cold mashed potatoes. Ready to put this tip into action? Bring the milk and butter to at least room temperature or, better yet, gently heat them on the stovetop before adding them to your potatoes.
If serving the creamiest, smoothest mashed potatoes is your dinnertime goal, consider whipping out the whisk to realize your vision. By using a whisk to make mashed potatoes, the work of transforming the cooked potatoes into a smooth side dish can be reduced.