Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 1 hr 30 mins
Active: 35 mins
Makes: 10 to 12 servings
By Regan Burns
You know why mashed potatoes in good restaurants taste better than yours? Copious amounts of butter and cream are a start, but a special technique is also used. This is the way I learned to make mashed potatoes in every restaurant I ever worked in. The rules: Don’t cut the potatoes too small (they’ll absorb too much water); start with cold water and salt the heck out of it; let the potatoes “steam dry” after you drain them; for the best texture, use a food mill; and don’t overmix the potatoes (they’ll get gluey!). Enjoy.
What to buy: Russet potatoes work best for mashers, but Yukon Golds are great, too.
Buttermilk gives these potatoes a nice tang that’s great with our Bourbon-Cream Gravy. Be sure to keep the buttermilk at room temperature and add it at the end. Heating it causes it to separate.
Special equipment: We liked the way this food mill gave our mashed potatoes a fine, smooth texture, but a ricer or even a regular potato... read more
- 8 pounds russet potatoes
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into small pieces
- 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- Peel and halve potatoes lengthwise. Cut each half into quarters. Place cut potatoes immediately into a large pot filled with cold water to prevent oxidation. Add more cold water to cover potatoes by at least 4 inches. Season water well with salt (it should taste like salt water).
- Bring potatoes to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are completely tender and just beginning to fall apart, about 20 minutes.
- Drain potatoes in a large colander and let them sit, undisturbed, to steam dry for about 5 minutes. (Steam drying allows much of the excess moisture to evaporate from the potatoes, so you can add more cream and butter later!) Taste the potatoes to see how salty they are.
- Meanwhile, heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until mixture is hot and butter is melted; do not boil. Remove from heat and season with freshly ground black or white pepper, and, if necessary, salt.
- Pass cooked potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer into a large pot. Pour hot cream-and-butter mixture into potatoes and fold in using a large rubber spatula. Fold in room-temperature buttermilk, being careful not to overwork potatoes.
- Taste potatoes, and, if necessary, adjust seasoning.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
I despise those perforated / stamped faced potato mashers. I will use the bent "S" wire type as it doesn't require the wrist effort.
No mills or ricers as one is better off using a mixer at reduced speed. I will use the beater attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer, never the whip.
Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins?
That must be a typo.
@ Regan Burns
Thank you for the tip, I'll try it :)
Hal Laurent: The total time is 1 hr 30 mins because we are accounting for the time it takes to bring the H20 to a boil.
@ aidem
`Thank you :)
if using a mixer or a ricer (anything but a masher) you get whipped potatoes (aka) wallpaper paste
with out a bit of even tiny lumps you don't get potatoe flavor .when you blend them to that mush there is not enough of the potatoe fibers to blend with what ever you are adding .
To prevent too much water getting in the potatoes I stopped boiling them. For years now I just cut them up and place them in a double boiler and they cook just right without all the water. Especially the russet and the new potatoes.
I have always had great success with a ricer for my mashed potatoes. Just be sure to buy a nice sturdy one. I got a cheapo one at first.. and it was a nightmare. When I bought a better one (about $25 i think) it worked like a dream. I also end up with pretty smooth potatoes.
I don't like using a mixer however, I do find that the potatoes get gummy.
This article has the best dek ever: Buttermilk tarts up classic mashed potatoes. Hilarious!
Another way to avoid waterlogged potatoes is to boil them whole. Buy the smallest Russets you can find. Yes, it will take a little longer but the results are good. If you do not want the peels in the final product, the skins slip off easily in running water once the potatoes are cooked, and there is much less waste.
I love buttermilk, and its such a staple. It would probably provide just as much flavor as cheese without as many calories!
Who doesn't love mashed potatoes -- but who cooks 8 pounds??
I bought a new masher at one of those fancy kitchen item stores and it's great -- it has "gourmet blender" stamped on it and has a blue handle -- it has a different kind of wire grid. It's similar but not the same as the one I've had for the last 35 years. It really works well. Cost was $18.00.
I always put my potatoes back on the heat and shake them often for a few minutes to evaporate the excess water.
Thanks for the buttermilk idea -- makes sense. I always put a little buttermilk in my potato pancakes and it adds a nice creaminess to the texture and as far as I'm concerned there is NOTHING that tastes better than a homemade potato pancake!
Using a ricer is worth the trouble. It makes the final product lighter which is important when using other "heavy" ingredients.
Agreed with CreativeGuy4U. I personally bake the potatoes in the oven, then cut them in half and rice them. Then I fold in the wet ingredients. Perfect mashed potatoes every time using that method.
BTW, I forgot to mention: Cut them in half once baked, then into the ricer cut-side down and press. Result: All of the cooked potato "meat" out through the grid, leaving all of the skin behind in the ricer. No peeling, no mess. Quite a time and effort saver, aside from the texture benefits.