Spoiler alert: Mashed potatoes can be the easiest side dish you have in your arsenal. One large russet potato can feed two people, and once you get used to it, you can customize it to suit the protein you're serving it with in a snap.
You'll need:
- 1 large Russet potato
- 2 Tbs butter
- 2 Tbs cream cheese
- Salt, to taste
Scrub the potato clean under running water - I just use my hands to check it for smudges and clean it. (At this point, you can peel it if you want, or leave the peel for some texture in the finished product. I left the peel on.)
Fill a small saucepan about halfway with water.
Chop the potato into 1 inch slices and then cut each slice into an X. Each piece should be between 1/2 inch and an inch. Place them into the saucepan with the water as you go.
Cover the saucepan and turn the heat to high, to bring it to a boil relatively quickly. Once it starts boiling, uncover and lower the heat to medium or medium-high, so that it keeps boiling but doesn't boil over. Set the timer 18 minutes. You can poke the pieces with a fork from time to time to see if they're done, but this seems to be the magic number. A trick: if the potato pieces breaks in half when you stab it, it's not ready. If you can't lift a piece out by stabbing it, it's soft enough to mash.
Turn off the burner. Drain the potatoes by putting the lid on the saucepan, a little off center, and draining it into the sink (you can also use a colander). Use potholders! Return it to the stove, without heat.
Add the butter and cream cheese to the saucepan with the warm potatoes. (You can use all butter if you don't have cream cheese on hand.) Use a fork to mash the potatoes - the butter and cream cheese will melt as you mash. Keep going until it's totally melted and the potatoes are smooth.
Add 1/2 tsp salt, and add a little more if you'd like. Serve!
Mix it up:
- Make all the potatoes you want! You'll need a bigger saucepan of course, and enough water to just submerge the potatoes. Just check them between 15 and 20 minutes for doneness.
- Don't have cream cheese? Use all butter.
- Too thick? Thin it out with heavy cream, for even more flavor.
- Mix ins! Chopped cooked bacon, chopped green onions, the shredded cheese of your choosing - these are all great to add in once the butter is incorporated.
The Basics: Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large Russet potato
- 2 Tbs butter
- 2 Tbs cream cheese
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Scrub the potato clean under running water - I just use my hands to check it for smudges and clean it. (At this point, you can peel it if you want, or leave the peel for some texture in the finished product. I left the peel on.)
- Fill a small saucepan about halfway with water.
- Chop the potato into 1 inch slices and then cut each slice into an X. Each piece should be between 1/2 inch and an inch. Place them into the saucepan with the water as you go.
- Cover the saucepan and turn the heat to high, to bring it to a boil relatively quickly. Once it starts boiling, uncover and lower the heat to medium or medium-high, so that it keeps boiling but doesn't boil over. Set the timer 18 minutes. You can poke the pieces with a fork from time to time to see if they're done, but this seems to be the magic number. A trick: if the potato pieces breaks in half when you stab it, it's not ready. If you can't lift a piece out by stabbing it, it's soft enough to mash.
- Turn off the burner. Drain the potatoes by putting the lid on the saucepan, a little off center, and draining it into the sink (you can also use a colander). Use potholders! Return it to the stove, without heat.
- Add the butter and cream cheese to the saucepan with the warm potatoes. (You can use all butter if you don't have cream cheese on hand.) Use a fork to mash the potatoes - the butter and cream cheese will melt as you mash. Keep going until it's totally melted and the potatoes are smooth.
- Add 1/2 tsp salt, and add a little more if you'd like. Serve!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
293.60Fat (grams)
16.32Sat. Fat (grams)
10.04Carbs (grams)
32.80Fiber (grams)
3.44Net carbs
29.36Sugar (grams)
2.13Protein (grams)
4.88Sodium (milligrams)
444.88Cholesterol (grams)
44.02