Easy Mashed Potatoes - Any Flavor, Any Consistency!

Potatoes. Mmmmmmm. Who doesn't love potatoes? They are a staple at every Thanksgiving dinner. Every family seems to have their own flavors and textures. Do you like mashed, smashed, garlic, sour cream, or plain old fashioned? 


All of these recipes start the same way and then you can flavor as you like. Making your own mashed potatoes is so easy and they are so much cheaper and healthier than the freeze dried ones. 

Below I will describe the basics of making mashed potatoes, then how to change the recipe to add in garlic, sour cream, chives, cheese, or whatever you like. 

Here is the recipe for making Basic Mashed Potatoes: 

• 3 large white or yukon gold potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter 
• 1/4 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Wash the potatoes. If you are leaving the skins on, be sure to scrub off all the dirt. If you are peeling your potatoes you can give them a good rinse. If peeling, peel now. Leave the skins on for lumpier smashed potatoes or remove them for creamy smooth mashed potatoes. 

Newby Note: if you have never cooked potatoes before, stick a fork in one of the raw ones to get a feel of how hard they are. You can tell they are done when they feel like the fork goes in easily (called "fork tender").

Cut 3 large potatoes into approximately 1" cubes. The size isn't as important as trying for consistency. You want the potato to cook at the same rate so you want the chunks to be close in size. 

Add the potato chunks to a pan and add cool water just to cover all the chunks. Turn the heat on to medium and let the water come up to temperature slowly. When the water is simmering, turn up the heat and boil the potatoes for about 5 minutes until fork tender. Use a colander and drain the potato chunks. 

Your potatoes are now ready for mashing or smashing, which ever you prefer. 

Add the hot potato into a bowl for mixing. I use my stand mixer. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter to the hot potatoes. Using the whisk attachment, I turned the mixer on low and slowly increased the speed. 

Lower the speed to slow and slowly add 1/4 cup of milk (almond and coconut milk work too). Stop the mixer and salt and pepper to taste. A good starting point is 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Taste and increase as needed. 

If you want smashed potatoes, mix until you like the consistency. If you want smooth whip until the are smooth. If the mixture seems too thick, add more milk. 

This whole potato process takes about 40 minutes due to the length of time it takes for the water to heat.

Recipe Variations

For Garlic Mashed Potatoes, you can roast garlic (Click here for instructions) or you can get garlic seasoning from your grocery. There is garlic powder and garlic salt. If you purchase garlic salt, do not add the salt mentioned in the recipe above. Use the garlic salt instead. Add the garlic when you add the salt and pepper.

For Sour Cream Potatoes, add sour cream instead of the milk. If the consistency is too thick, you can thin it by adding a tablespoon of milk at a time until it has the consistency you want.  

For Sour Cream and Onion Potatoes, make the sour cream potato recipe and  add onion powder to the mixture when you add the salt and pepper.

For Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes, make the sour cream potato recipe and add in fresh chopped chives right before the final mixing. Sprinkle a few on top after you put them in a serving dish.

For Cheesy Potatoes, grate a half cup cheddar or parmesan cheese (you can add almost any cheese you like). Add it to the hot potatoes with the butter. Taste before adding the salt because some cheese varieties are pretty salty. Since the cheese can make the potatoes thicker, you may need to add a little more milk. Add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the consistency is what you like. 

Let me know in the comments if there are other types you enjoy! What type of potato do you eat for Thanksgiving? 

Laureen