Good Old-Fashioned Mashed Potatoes

This is my all-time favorite homemade creamy mashed potatoes recipe. This recipe is a classic old-school home cooking recipe right out of the family recipe book that I inherited from my Mom and next to my Dad's amazing macaroni and cheese, it is one of my favorite recipes to make and to eat!

Now, let's get back to basics!

Another day....another comfort food...today, it's Mashed Potatoes. 

From as early as I can remember I have loved creamy mashed potatoes.  When I was a little girl my parents had a favorite restaurant that we would go to at least once a week. 

Everybody loved trying the "Specials of the Day" but I never needed to worry about what the chef's special was because I always ordered the same thing, Mashed Potatoes with Gravy...sometimes preferring the chicken gravy and sometimes the brown gravy.

The recipe below is my tried and true favorite.  Sometimes I deviate adding sour cream, garlic or other herbs, but ultimately this is the version I stick with.  Nice, basic and always dependable, like a good friend.

Homemade Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of potatoes such as Yukon gold or russet
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup of milk
• ½ stick of butter-salted or unsalted-cut into pieces {more or less to taste}
• pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Peel and cut potatoes into cubes.  It is important to keep all of the cubes approximately the same size so that the cooking time is uniform.
• Place potatoes in a pot of cold water adding salt {approximately 1 teaspoon}.  Bring water to a simmer and continue to simmer until a fork can go easily in and out of the potatoes, approximately 20 minutes.
• Drain potatoes in a colander.
• Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat and heat until hot but do not overheat.
• While the milk is warming, mix the potatoes with an electric mixer at medium-low speed until most of the lumps are gone {unless you like lumpy potatoes-if that is the case stop when you are happy with the consistency}.
• Add butter and mix until well blended.
• On low speed, add the hot milk slowly.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well but do not over mix.  The entire mixing process, allowing for differences in mixers, will be approximately 3 minutes from start to finish.

Serves 4 to 6

📖 Recipe