Mashed Potatoes are arguably one of the most important dishes for family dinners. This goes double for the holidays. Fixing mashed potatoes is simple enough but it is easy to get something wrong. Mainly, it is the consistency and the taste that we need to worry about, but there’s also the color.

If mashed potatoes are not salty enough, one can save them by adding some. It won’t be as good as when the salt melts before the final consistency is reached, but it is not a catastrophe. However, getting the consistency wrong, or god forbid the color, means you have some serious problems.

What can go wrong? (Famous last words)

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The wrong consistency of mashed potatoes can give people a stomach ache or even diarrhea if it’s too watery. That would mean you added too much milk (or water) and something awful happens in the stomach when mashed potatoes are watery. Not sure what, but something bad.

Not to mention that you will need a spoon to eat it if it’s too watery. But, if you don’t add enough water, that will bring a set of completely different problems. Then you end up with something that tastes like leftover potatoes grandma used to cook in the soup to get the flavor, and took the potato out.

How to make Mashed Potatoes just right?

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In terms of consistency, we are looking for that creamy, fluffy mass. Not sticky and pasty. The first thing you need is to get “white” potatoes, golden in color. This means they are rich in starch. Also, a mid-sized potato is best, like the size of an egg. Don’t go too big or too small.

Next, you need to peel them. Roasting potatoes is better with the skin on, but for mashing, we don’t need the skin. Cut them in quarter-size chunks or smaller, but not too small. This is important because we need them dry after they are cooked.

Cooking times?

This again depends on the potato type and the size of the chunks, but if you followed the instructions thoroughly, something around 20-30 minutes should be good. The chunks need to stay solid, but soft and easily mashed.

The most important part

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You need to dry them quite well, even steam off what little water remains at the bottom of the pot. But, don’t wait for them to cool. Start while they are still smoking. Now, you can add milk or water (milk is better for getting them creamier).

Whatever you choose, try to heat it up a bit. Not too much, but up to 30°C approximately. Then, you can add the salt, and there is really no help with this. You need to try and judge for yourself. Sprinkle just enough to sprinkle every chunk with a few grains of salt.

Lastly…

Do not use a blender or any mechanical processor, because it is easy to overdo it. When you go over that fine point in mashing mechanically, you will get an almost gelatinous texture, while we want fluff and cream.