This is the creamy mashed potato you’ve seen smothered in sauces and gravies in hundreds of recipes on my site. Easy, buttery, perfectly seasoned, and impossible to resist eating it straight out of the pot, homemade mashed potato was never so simple to make and totally mouthwatering!
Serve with everything.
Mashed Potato
This is the mashed potato you’ve seen smothered in sauces and gravies in hundreds of recipes on my site.
It’s made an appearance alongside roasts and uncountable chicken recipes. It’s nestled on the side of plates with huge steaks dripping with garlic butter, it’s buried under a mound of meatballs drowning in delectable sauces.
You’ve seen fleeting glimpses of it in recipe videos, from grand holiday centrepieces like Roast Turkey, to quick midweek meals like Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin and slow cooked comfort foods like the Fall Apart Beef Stroganoff Stew from last week.
I make it a lot, I eat it a lot and it makes an appearance at everything from midweek meals to holiday gatherings!
What goes in homemade mashed potato
All you need is potatoes, salt, butter and milk OR cream (for a more luxurious finish). You don’t need to fuss with extra ingredients if you use the right technique for cooking!
The Potatoes
Floury and all rounder potatoes work best to achieve a fluffy yet creamy mash without fussing with potato ricers and other gadgets (this is, after all, the everyday mash you’re going to make all the time!)
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Australia – the cheap dirt-brushed potatoes sold “everywhere” (called Sebago) are terrific all rounders to use for mashed potato
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US: Russet
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UK: Maris Piper
How to make the BEST homemade mashed potato!
It’s straightforward but there are are a few specific tips and steps:
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Cut potato into equal pieces;
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Boil in SALTED water – this will season the potatoes all the way through – until potato is very, very soft. It should virtually crumble when you jab it with a fork;
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Drain, return into pot and mash with butter and milk or cream;
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Mash until creamy and fluffy;
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Transfer to serving bowl and make swirls across the top….
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So you can drizzle with butter to take the mash totally over the top!!
Other flavours you can add to mashed potato
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Cream cheese or sour cream – adds a bit of tang to the mash which isn’t to my personal taste, but feel free to add a dollop if you wish!
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Garlic – mince one or two cloves and cook with melted butter before pouring into the mash
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BACON bits – no further explanation needed!
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Green onions – finely chop or slice
I always like to garnish with a bit of chopped parsley or chives, and drizzle with extra melted butter.
What to serve with mashed potato
Well, everything. Anything!
Mash is made to be smothered in sauces and served alongside your favourite steak, roast chicken, a magnificent standing rib roast or a slow roasted pork with insane crackling.
It also loves to have a Salisbury Steak nestled on it before drowning in Mushroom Gravy, or to have a tumble of juicy Swedish Meatballs drowning in creamy gravy.
Here are some suggestions for more dishes that’s just crying out for a side of Mashed Potato!
Some easy midweek meals to serve with mash
Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Creamy Mashed Potato
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg / 3 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm/1” cubes (Preferably Sebago, Russet or Maris Piper, Note 1)
- 1 tbsp salt (for cooking)
Flavourings:
- 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter , chopped
- 1/2 cup milk , preferably warmed
- 1/2 tsp salt
Garnish:
- Extra melted butter
- Chives or parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Place in a large pot with 1 tbsp salt. Add water so it’s 10cm / 4” above potatoes.
- Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat so it’s simmering rapidly. Cook 15 minutes or until potatoes are very soft (jab with fork to test, they should fall apart).
- Drain well, return into pot. Leave for 1 minute, shaking pot every now and then, to encourage evaporation of water.
- Add Flavourings then mash well, using milk to make it looser if desired.
- DO NOT use: a beater, stick blender, food processor or blender. You can pulse with a stand mixer or handheld mixer but be cautious, stop as soon as it's creamy (potatoes will quickly go from perfect to gluey using appliances).
- Transfer to serving bowl, make pretty swirls across the top and drizzle over butter. Sprinkle with chives then serve!
MAKE AHEAD / KEEPING WARM - choose:
- 30 minutes or less - Cover bowl tightly with cling wrap and keep in a warm place (like near the stove), will stay warm for 30 min. Gently stir before serving.
- Up to 2 hours, over hot water - place bowl with mash over a pot of boiling hot water (turn stove on every now and then to keep water hot) or keep about 3 cm / 1" water gently simmering. Bowl should not touch water.
- Up to 4 hours, slow cooker warm seeting - press baking paper/parchment paper onto potato surface, then cover tightly with foil. Keep in slow cooker on WARM setting (60C/140F or less).
- Day before - use this recipe for Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes (uses a restaurant trick!)
Recipe Notes:
- Australia - the cheap dirt-brushed potatoes sold “everywhere” (called Sebago) are terrific all rounders
- US: Russet ideal
- UK: Maris Piper
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
I was calling and calling him and he didn’t come…..then I turned around and saw THIS:
Another basic dish that up until Nagi’s recipe I always managed to mess up! Fam loved it, made your brisket with it, as well as your coleslaw and roasted some cauliflower. Simple delicious dinner
I’ve struggled for almost 9 years to make a mash I was happy with ( hubby loves it). I mostly ended up buying it, adding milk & butter to make it acceptable. My mother in law seemed to master it in the thermomix, but I could only produce something similar to potato soup, which wouldn’t even be fit for the hogs! Anyway, reading into the blurb about this recipe, I noticed that using processors etc turn it to glue… just my issue! So I had a little revisit down memory lane to me as a child staying with my grandparents… and yes, Gpa always mashed to potato by hand, and it was beautiful… 🥰
Its truly worth the extra effort… hubby is super impressed with my mashed potato tonight! Also I added some Philly cream cheese to it, as I was having it with corned beef (no rich gravy for the mash).
Loved this! Now my favourite mash dish – superb!
How long does this keep for?
Good
For whatever reason, I’ve always struggled to make a ripper mash. I followed Nagi’s instructions to the letter, and guess what? Ripper mash!
Followed the recipe to a t and added garlic n sour cream dollop – worked a treat! Great with lamb shanks, lentils, and peas. Warming on a cool, rainy evening. Thanks, Nagi!
I’ve done extensive research on prepping potatoes for mashing, and they should be cooked with milk, not water, for optimum flavor. If you disagree that’s fine, but I recommend that you at least try it!
The peels can be made into a cream soup, along with any leftover milk. I hate throwing out the peels because they taste so good.
Just LOVED IT! Homemade mashed potato recipe is easy to make and they are mouthwatering. It has been my favorite easy-to-make dish for my family. But I don’t prefer using butter for the recipe. I use organic ghee butter to boost its flavor and make it healthier. Drizzling a few drops of ghee as a final touch will also work great!
These were perfect! I used Irish butter which makes these potatoes decadent.
OMG that sounds amazing Wendy!! N x
very tasty recipe, thanks for sharing this perfect recipe
Hi Nagi, I have not had a reciepe from you for the last couple of months,is something wrong?Bob.
Hi Bob – I am not posting or emailing right now as I am writing a cookbook! I hope to get back to it as soon as I finish all the photos for the book in a month or so. In the meantime you can check my website for inspiration – just pop an ingredient you want to use into the search bar and see the recipes that come up! N x
Best of luck with the book Nagi!
Yum. Perfect complement of salt to butter to milk ratio.
Another winner, Nagi!
I always use the unwashed potatoes! I love your recipes Nagi. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family🥂🥂🎄🎄
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner with vegan butter and it was one of the favourites! Thanks Nagi!
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner and it was one of the favourites! Thanks Nagi!
Great recipe!
This is really the best mashed potato recipe I’ve ever made! I thought they 1/3 cup of milk wouldn’t be enough but it’s the perfect amount. Such a hit for my family.
Fantastic recipe. So easy to follow. Best mashed potatoes I’ve ever made. Will make again and again. Thank you.
Magi I’m doing this mash with beef burgundy yr recipe n it tastes delicious from test spoon