To say that this is The Best Mashed Potato Recipe may seem like a stretch...until you've tried them. Garlicky, peppery, creamy, yet chunky are all aspects of these amazing mashed potatoes. Plus, they're ready to serve in just 40 minutes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
While mashed potatoes are pretty good no matter what, as at-home chefs, we all strive for better than 'pretty good,' this recipe certainly doesn't fall short. The texture is a perfect mix to please the chunky vs. creamy crowds, and the flavor is just out of this world. You won't be disappointed.
I love serving these made-from-scratch mashed potatoes with almost any meat and for any occasion, especially Hatch Chile Meatloaf, Sous Vide Smoked Chicken, and Chilean Sea Bass.
Ingredients
Potatoes: You'll need a bag of Yellow Yukon Potatoes(see expert tips).
Liquids: All you'll need is Whole Milk and Heavy Cream.
Cheese: You'll want some Neufchâtel Cheese(see expert tips).
Herbs and Spices: Just some Kosher Salt and Black Pepper is all this recipe will need.
Extras: Make sure to have some Unsalted Butter on hand.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Fill a large mixing bowl with ice water about halfway. This will keep your potatoes from discoloring while you peel and cube them.
Next, using a potato peeler, peel the potatoes and immediately add them to the bowl of water. Once all of your potatoes have been peeled, remove them one by one, cube them, and place the cubes back into the ice water.
Now that you have all the potatoes peeled and cubed, use a colander to remove them from the ice water and transfer them to a large stock pot. Cover the potatoes with cold tap water and put the pot on the stove over high heat.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for twelve minutes.
Step 2: While the potatoes are boiling, add fresh minced garlic to a small saucepan over medium-low heat and allow it to steam until slightly aromatic. Add the milk, cream, salt, and pepper and combine. Bring the creamy mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat off. The milk/cream mixture will become infused with the garlic and thicken a bit, becoming a runny, gravy-like texture.
Step 3: Once the potatoes have boiled, strain them in the same strainer as before, then transfer them back to the pot.
Add the butter and Neufchâtel cheese to the pot of potatoes. Then, using a potato masher, begin mashing the potatoes until slightly smooth with small chunks of potatoes left.
Step 4: Lastly, begin pouring the garlic-infused cream mixture into the potatoes, stirring as you go. At first, the potatoes will seem a bit too runny but will thicken up on their own before serving.
There you have it...The Best Mashed Potato Recipe!
Expert Tips
- Yellow Yukon Gold potatoes make for a more buttery, creamier texture to the potatoes than, let's say, a Russet potato. You can certainly use any potato, but I highly recommend Yukons.
- Neufchâtel cheese is very similar to cream cheese but is lower in fat. Now, that's not why I recommend using it. It also has a slightly sour taste that works perfectly in this mashed potato recipe. That said, if you can't find it or already have cream cheese on hand, that's fine as well. But I would try hard to get your hands on some Neufchâtel.
- If you're looking for other sides to pair with this mashed potato recipe, try these Oven Roasted Carrots, Easy Sautéed Spinach, or Homemade Creamed Spinach.
Recipe FAQs
The easiest way to mash potatoes is by boiling them first and then mashing them using a potato masher. Also, while mashing the potatoes, add your butter. This will also help to break them down further, making mashing easier.
Baking the potatoes does mean there is less water in the mashed potatoes, making for fluffier potatoes. However, boiling is the way to go if you like a chunkier mashed potato or are pressed for time.
No, you don't have to peel potatoes before mashing them. Some of the best mashed potatoes are chunky skin-on mashed potatoes. When preparing this style, cube the potatoes in medium chunks, boil them with the skin on, then mash as you normally would.
The key to good mashed potatoes is using Yukon gold potatoes and infusing the milk/cream with garlic while the potatoes are boiling. Then, when mashing, add the butter first, Neufchatel cheese, the garlic-infused milk/cream, and additional herbs and spices such as salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, chives, etc.
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📖 Recipe
The Best Mashed Potato Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ lb Yellow Yukon Potatoes
- ½ Cup Whole Milk
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
- ½ Cup Unsalted Butter, cubed
- 4 Oz Neufchâtel Cheese
- 2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and add them to a large bowl of Ice water to avoid discoloration.
- Cube the potatoes adding them back to the same bowl of water.
- In a large pot, add the potatoes and clean cold water. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat to low simmering for about 10 minutes.
- In a small sauce pan over medium high heat, add the minced garlic. Allow it to cook until fragrant about 1-2 minutes. Next, add the milk and heavy cream bringing it to a boil. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander then add them back to the pot along with the Butter, Neufchâtel Cheese, Salt, and Pepper.
- Using a potato masher, mash and mix the ingredients together until you've reached the desired consistency. I prefer to leave mine with some little chunks but mainly smooth.
- Slowly pour the cream and garlic mixture in while stirring to combine.
- Cover and serve when ready.
Video
Notes
- Yellow Yukon Gold potatoes make for a more buttery, creamier texture to the potatoes than, let's say, a Russet potato. You can certainly use any potato, but I highly recommend Yukons.
- Neufchâtel cheese is very similar to cream cheese but is lower in fat. Now, that's not why I recommend using it. It also has a slightly sour taste that works perfectly in this mashed potato recipe. That said, if you can't find it or already have cream cheese on hand, that's fine as well. But I would try hard to get your hands on some Neufchâtel.
- If you're looking for other sides to pair with this mashed potato recipe, try these Oven Roasted Carrots, Easy Sautéed Spinach, or Homemade Creamed Spinach.
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