Creamy Mashed Potatoes Master Recipe Plus Endless Variations
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes rinsed
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- one third cup heavy cream
- one third cup milk
- 1/2 stick salted butter
- salt and pepper to taste don't skimp on the salt, I put at least 1 teaspoon
TO CUSTOMIZE
Additional options to liven up your mashed potatoes and make them your own:
Roasted Garlic:
- 1 head roasted garlic
- Cut top 1/4 to 1/2 inch off of a complete head of garlic pour olive oil over cut end and wrap in foil. Bake in 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Just make sure the cloves feel soft...they should literally squeeze out of their skins ( I like to throw it into the oven when I am cooking something else to save energy.)
Chive and Crème Fraiche
- Replace cream cheese with 1 cup of crème fraiche
- Add 2 tablespoons chopped chives
Truffle
- Add 1 tablespoon white truffle oil start here, taste and adjust in small increments to desired intensity
- Sprinkle with cooked bacon bits for a little something extra
Cheesy
- Add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Buttermilk
- Add 1/2 cup buttermilk
- Delete heavy cream
Horseradish
- Add 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Instructions
- Leave potatoes unpeeled and place in a large pot with 1 tablespoon of salt and enough cold water to cover potatoes completely.
- Bring water to a boil.
- Reduce heat and cover partially. Simmer for about 35 minutes or until a fork poked into potatoes goes through easily.
- Drain and let potatoes cool enough to handle. The skins will now "rub" right off. Throw out skins and cut potatoes into large pieces.
- In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk and butter over low heat until butter has melted. Stir and set aside.
- Now I prefer to use a potato ricer to "rice" my potatoes into a light and fluffy deliciousness. Otherwise you can use whatever tool you would normally use to mash your potatoes.
- Once mashed, it is easiest to use an immersion blender to combine the riced potatoes and cream cheese until incorporated.
- Add the milk/butter mixture that you warmed earlier and blend by hand until combined.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Check for consistency at this point. If your potatoes are not creamy enough, add additional cream or milk in small increments until you reach the desired consistency.