American
Classic Mashed Potatoes
Russet potatoes are boiled until tender, dried in the hot pot, and mashed with warm milk and butter. Garlic and parsley keep the mash familiar without turning it into a flavored side.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Russets mash fluffier than waxy potatoes, which stay chunky.
- Starting the potatoes in cold water helps them cook evenly from the outside in.
- Warm milk blends in. Cold milk cools the mash and makes it stiff.
- Drying the drained potatoes in the hot pot keeps the mash from turning watery.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water by about 1 inch. Stir in the 1 tbsp kosher salt for the water.
- 2
Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a steady simmer. Cook until a knife slides through a chunk with no resistance, 15 to 18 minutes.
- 3
Meanwhile, warm the whole milk, butter, and smashed garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter melts and the milk is steaming. Do not boil. Remove the garlic cloves.
- 4
Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot for 1 minute over low heat so the surface steam dries off.
- 5
Mash the potatoes with a masher. Pour in the warm milk and butter a little at a time, mashing until the texture is fluffy.
- 6
Season with the 1 tsp kosher salt and the black pepper. Fold in the parsley.
- 7
Serve hot, with any extra warm milk on the side if the mash tightens as it sits.
Pro tips
- Stop mashing while a few small lumps remain if you like a home-style texture. A mixer on high turns potatoes gluey.
- Save a splash of the potato water. Add it only if the mash looks stiff after the milk is in.
- Salt the cooking water enough that the potatoes taste seasoned before the butter goes in.
Easy substitutions
- Russet potatoes
- Yukon Gold potatoes
- Whole milk
- Half-and-half
- Parsley
- Chives
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days. The mash will thicken as it cools.
Reheating
Warm in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of milk, stirring, until hot. Or cover and reheat in a 325°F oven until steaming.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 262
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
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A heavy 12-inch skillet
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An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
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A large cutting board
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Dry cups and a liquid cup
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An instant-read thermometer
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