Thanksgiving is coming! It’s my favorite holiday! Thanksgiving is all about time together, so easy, make-ahead dishes like Perfect Mashed Potatoes make your life easier without sacrificing great taste and lots of compliments.
I start my meal prep a few days in advance, and I always make my super easy Perfect Mashed Potatoes either the day before, or the morning of Thanksgiving. This recipe can easily be doubled (10 pounds of potatoes) and halved (2.5 pounds of potatoes) without any additional adjustments. The recipe is perfect regardless of the size gathering you’re hosting. They reheat beautifully and stay warm in a buttered crockpot on low for hours. They’re also great leftover after Thanksgiving. We love these potatoes and I have been making them our entire marriage – a long time.
Perfect Mashed Potatoes start with your choice of either Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes. Both cook and mash perfectly, so you can’t go wrong with either. You will find that the Yukon Gold potatoes have a buttery taste that works great in these. But they still get butter added because, you know – Thanksgiving! Russets are great, too. Both types are well-suited for mashed potatoes due to their firm, but fluffy texture when boiled, baked, and fried. Resist the urge to get fancy fingerling potatoes. They are for not mashing. They have a waxy texture that makes them the perfect choice for roasting in high heat, but they do not work for this preparation.
The only other ingredients are butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper, and, if desired you can add garlic powder for garlic mashed potatoes. I find it’s best and quickest to cut the butter into pats and the cream cheese into cubes. They melt faster when they hit the hot potatoes. Be sure to sprinkle the seasonings all over the top to distribute them well before mashing.
I am a big fan of rustic mashed potatoes, which just means they have some small chunks throughout. They are not completely smooth. If you like silky smooth potatoes, let me suggest a potato ricer rather than a hand mixer. Hear me out on this one! With a ricer, you simply add your cooked potatoes to the hopper of the ricer, then press down on the handle. Use it right over the top of your hot pot. This potato ricer from Food52 has a pot-resting extension that makes it quick and easy. It’s also stainless steel and dishwasher safe, so clean up is a breeze. If you need a great Dutch oven, Food52 carries some of the best workhorses like Staub and LeCreuset. And they are all on sale right now, so hurry if you are in the market for a high quality one that will become a family heirloom.
Next week I will be posting my out-of-this-world, foolproof, make-ahead gravy, along with turkey, dressing (or stuffing depending on what you call it), and my mom’s incredible cranberry sauce! I’ll also post my twice baked potato casserole for the non-gravy potato lovers! So stay tuned! I will also post my Thanksgiving preparation timeline so you can have a stress-free Thanksgiving, too, just like I do! Afterall, this holiday is all about family, friends, demonstrating appreciation and love for one another, and spending time around the table while enjoying great food together. And remember, no one will care if you use paper plates or fine china, plastic cups or your best crystal. They will remember being together and how that made them feel to be part of a community. Speaking of community – thank you for being part of mine.
Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- 4 Quart or larger Dutch oven or stock pot
- Potato masher
- Potato Ricer optional
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes or russet potatoes,
- 2 sticks butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese,
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (OPTIONAL)
Instructions
- Peel potatoes; cut into one inch pieces.
- Add potatoes to 4 quart Dutch oven or stock pot.
- Add cold water to cover by potatoes by one inch.
- Bring water to a boil; lower temperature and simmer on medium until fork tender.
- While potatoes are boiling, cut butter into pats. Cube the cream cheese into 1" pieces. Set aside.
- Drain potatoes and return to same pot.
- Add butter and cream cheese to hot potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, if using.
- Mash to desired smoothness. Or use a potato ricer for perfectly smooth potatoes. Serve hot! Enjoy!
