Nothing is worse than cooking a whole roast dinner only for your mashed potatoes to be lumpy and gummy, but it this often happens if you are not using the right ingredients.
Olga, a family cook and founder of Olga’s Flavor Factory, has the best way to achieve “creamy, fluffy and incredibly delicious” mashed potatoes actually starts at the supermarket.
It is incredibly important to be careful what type of potatoes you are cooking with as certain ones are too dense, so the mash will more likely have lumps instead of a smooth consistency.
She said: “If you use white or red potatoes, they have a much lower starch level, which makes them waxy, so they will have more lumps and be more prone to becoming ‘gluey’ when mashed.
“If you want a more rustic texture, you can use those as well, but if you want really fluffy, tender mashed potatoes, gold or baking potatoes are the best choice.”
When you are shopping for ingredients, try to look for potato types that have high scratch content with low moisture such as russet potatoes, but Yukon gold potatoes will work as well.
Olga said: “Baking [or] Russet potatoes have a lot of starch and a low level of water in them, which makes them really fluffy when mashed.
“Gold potatoes have a medium starch and water level in them. I love their flavor so much too – they taste almost ‘buttery’ to me.”
How to make creamy mashed potatoes properly
Ingredients:
- 4lb of potatoes (Russet or Yukon gold)
- 240ml of whole milk
- 115g of butter
- Salt and pepper
Recipe:
To begin, peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks that are all the same size.
Put the potatoes in a pot and pour in just enough cold water to cover them. Then, salt the water generously.
Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat up on the stove for the water to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the potatoes until fork tender (around 15 to 20 minutes).
While the potatoes are cooking, heat up the milk in a small saucepan until it is barely simmering. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and return them to the pot without any water.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the potatoes then immediately heat the potatoes for roughly one minute until the butter is melted, then turn off the stove.
Mash the potatoes with a masher or hand mixer, but be careful not to overmix. Pour over the hot milk while mashing the potatoes until you have a smooth texture.
Season with salt and pepper, and your silky smooth mashed potatoes will be ready to serve.
