The foundation of restaurant-style mashed potatoes is perfectly cooked potatoes, with a light texture, silky mouthfeel, and a buttery taste. To achieve these goals, you only need to do three things:
Steam the potatoes
Here’re the reason that you should always steam your potatoes instead of boiling:
The potatoes won’t be water-loaded. It won’t be a problem even if you overcook the potatoes (which happens more often than you’d think when you’re preparing multiple dishes for a party). Thus, it’s a hands-off method compared to boiled potatoes. It preserves more nutrients and flavors in the potatoes.
Steaming creates potatoes with such a fresh flavor and perfect texture, that you can simply season the dish with a pinch of salt and a few tablespoons of butter to get delicious and healthy mashed potatoes. However, since I’m cooking a side dish for the holiday season, I chose to prioritize the taste.
Add fat – plenty of it
You want the silky texture instead of grainy one, so you need to whip a lot of fat into the potatoes. One stick of butter might seem like a lot, but I promise you that this method will create the best mashed potato you’ve ever had. This recipe is actually a lighter version, adapted from and based on the mashed potatoes recipe from Serious Eats. The original recipe uses 3 sticks of butter per 2-pound potatoes! I reduced the amount of butter and sour cream, and replaced heavy creamy with milk.
Pull out your hand blender
The debate about making the perfect mashed potatoes never ends. Some people insist that you should use a food mill or a ricer to make mashed potatoes. For me, this method is too much trouble and it involves a LOT of work if you’re cooking for a crowd. My secret weapon for making restaurant style mashed potatoes is a hand mixer. NOTE: Not a hand blender! A hand blender (immersion blender) will release too much starch from the potatoes and result in heavy and gummy mashed potatoes. When you use a hand mixer, you can whip in much more liquid and fat without releasing too much starch from the potatoes. It also results in a very smooth and creamy texture.
That’s it! Once you have followed these three tips, you can create your own restaurant-style mashed potatoes by altering the ratios of ingredients and adjust the seasoning to your taste. In the recipe below, I’ve added the tips of how to cook non-dairy and vegan mashed potatoes in the footer. Hope you enjoy! Looking for holiday dishes? Don’t forget to check out my Oven Roasted Green Beans with Garlic Soy Glaze and Chinese-Style Roasted Turkey Breast to make a delicious meal in under 2 hours!
What is your favorite mashed potatoes recipe? Do you like your mashed potatoes to be a bit lumpy or smooth? Leave a comment below to share your thoughts! This post is for Day Four of the #PotatoPalooza event co-hosted by Bowl of Delicious, Panning the Globe and Omnivore’s Cookbook. Check out what recipes the others have posted!
Miniature Hasselback Potatoes with Creamy Dill Dip by Bowl of Delicious Spicy Rainbow Roasted Potatoes with Za’atar by Panning the Globe
Special thanks to the Idaho Potato Commission For Sponsoring #PotatoPalooza 2016! For more delicious potato recipes, check out the Idaho® potatoes website.
