traditional homestyle mashed potatoes
I always enjoyed but had never made mashed potatoes. And when I went looking for a recipe... no luck. I found many fancy versions and several recipes that called for using mashed potatoes, but nothing that was just the traditional mashed potatoes. Fortunately, there was one granny-style that at least pointed me in the right direction. And using hers and the common ingredients from the fancy recipes, I was able to come up with this recipe that works quite well! If you like classic dishes but weren't taught them by a family member, this might fill the same hole for you that it did for me.
Blue Ribbon Recipe
There are hundreds of ways to make mashed potatoes and even more opinions on how to do it. If you follow Kat's method you will have perfectly creamy mashed potatoes. We used a hand mixer to make sure there were no lumps. The trick to this recipe is to warm the butter, milk, and sour cream. Adding the warm ingredients to the hot potatoes keeps the potatoes hot but also helps the milk mixture distribute evenly. Sour cream is the secret ingredient. It adds a subtle flavor.
Ingredients For traditional homestyle mashed potatoes
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5 lbpotatoes
- DAIRY
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1 stickbutter
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1/2 cwhole milk
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1/2 csour cream
- SPICES
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1 Tbspgarlic salt
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1 tsppink Himalayan salt
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1 tspfresh ground pepper
How To Make traditional homestyle mashed potatoes
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1Set a large pot, roughly half full of water on low to medium heat. Add salt until the water is very salty. -
2Peel potatoes, and rinse. Cut into 1" cubes,
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3Place them directly into the pot. Add more water if all of the potatoes aren't completely covered. Note: Salt in this step will cause the water to boil at a higher temperature but does not raise the sodium content of the finished recipe.
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4Bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes easily fall apart when mashed with a fork.
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5While boiling the potatoes, in a small separate saucepan, set the butter, milk, and sour cream on low heat, until the butter melts. Stir and turn off the heat. (Make sure this mixture never boils, if it does, discard it and make it again.) By preference, adjust individual dairy quantities keeping the total between 1 1/2 to 2 cups at this step. If desired, also include cream cheese in the total dairy ingredients.
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6When potatoes are tender, either remove them from the water with a skimmer or drain them with a colander.
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7Place potatoes in a large mixing bowl, and begin using a potato masher until around half the cubes are crushed.
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8Create a cavity in the center of the potatoes, and add the butter mixture and the desired spices. (I like garlic salt, fresh ground pepper, and pink Himalayan salt.) Fold potatoes over the cavity and work in using the masher.
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9If a smoother texture is desired, use an electric mixer (stand or handheld) on low speed to continue blending all ingredients. Serve hot. If they cool while other food is being prepared, place them in a baking pan and cover with foil. Bake until the desired temperature is returned. Enjoy! Slowly increase speed until the desired texture and consistency are achieved. If the mixture is too dry, add additional milk in 1/4 cup increments until desired creaminess is achieved. Taste and add additional spices as desired. (Err on the side of less spices initially, and make final adjustments here.)
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
