Mashed Potatoes

Makes: 4 servings

Time: About 40 minutes

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Starchy potatoes make the fluffiest mash, but Yukon Gold and other all-purpose potatoes yield a creamy texture. If you like mashed potatoes with the peel included, just scrub them well before cooking. If you like your mashed potatoes lumpy, mash them with a fork or potato masher; if you prefer them smooth and light, use a food mill or ricer. Keep them away from mixers, food processors, and blenders, though, because the potatoes will become gummy.

Some keys to keeping mashed potatoes fluffy: Cook them whole if possible; cook them with the peel on if possible (the peels will slip off easily after cooking, or you can eat them); and refrain from poking them often as they cook. All of these reduce the tendency of the spuds to absorb water, which makes them heavier.

Once the potatoes are mashed and combined with the milk and butter, they will keep for a little while in a double boiler. But it’s easier to just boil the potatoes a little ahead of time and let them sit for an hour or so before mashing.

Other vegetables you can use: any vegetable can be mashed; see Vegetable Purée (page 150).

• 2 pounds starchy or all-purpose potatoes
• 1 cup milk or buttermilk, plus more if needed
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
• Salt and pepper

1. Boil the potatoes according to the recipe on page 233. (You can prepare the potatoes to this point up to an hour in advance; just leave them in a colander to drain and dry out a bit.)
2. While the potatoes are draining, wipe the pot dry and put it back on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the milk and the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. When the butter is almost melted, remove the pot from the heat. Rice the potatoes into the milk mixture, run them through a food mill set over the pot, or add them to the milk mixture and mash with a fork or potato masher. Return the pot to the heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon to reach the desired consistency, adding more milk if necessary. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Smashed Potatoes Omit the milk. In Step 3, add the potatoes directly to the melted butter in the pan and mash roughly with a fork or masher, leaving lots of lumps. Stir a few times, adding more butter if you like, and serve.

Vegan Mashed Potatoes Works with either the main recipe or the preceding variation: Instead of milk, reserve 1 cup or so water from boiling the potatoes. Or use vegetable stock (pages 97 to 100), silken tofu, a non-dairy milk, white wine, beer, or a combination of these liquids. Replace the butter with olive oil. V