Mashed potatoes may seem like a pretty straightforward side dish. But as simple as they seem, they don’t always turn out as planned! The fluffy, flavorful potatoes you envisioned may turn out starchy, gummy, or downright bland. But I recently learned about a simple trick that can enhance both the taste and texture of your mashed potatoes, and that’s what I’ll be sharing with you today!
Related: How to Make Instant Mashed Potatoes Taste Like the Real Thing
Do you use one type of potato when making your mashed potatoes? Most people do! But choosing only one potato may actually be working against you. Because when you use only one type of potato, there’s not a lot of room for error. Failing to get the flavor or texture just right can ruin your poor potatoes! But as I recently discovered, there are actually two simple ways to get around this mashed potato problem!
The Secret to Better Mashed Potatoes
The first way to improve the taste and texture of your mashed potatoes is to use two or three different varieties of potatoes, rather than just one. Combining a variety of different textures and starch levels makes for more interesting and flavorful mashed potatoes!
The second option for enhancing your mashed potatoes is to supplement your potatoes with other root vegetables. You could use turnips, parsnips, sunchokes, or sweet potatoes—whatever you like best! Adding different roots in with your potatoes will add a ton of flavor and character to your mashed potatoes.
To take this advice for a spin, I decided to try both methods at once. To my usual choice of russet potatoes, I added both Yukon gold potatoes and parsnips into the mix. After mashing everything together and adding a healthy amount of butter, I was delighted by how delicious it turned out! I had been worried that the additions would make my mashed potatoes unrecognizable, but that wasn’t the case at all. The Yukon golds and parsnips simply enhanced the flavor and texture of my mashed potatoes in a really wonderful way.
After seeing (and tasting!) what a difference it made, I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to using just one type of potato!
4 More Mashed Potato Mistakes (and How to Fix Them!)
1. Cutting Your Potatoes Too Small
Cutting your potatoes into small pieces may make them cook faster, but that’s where the good news ends. Small potato pieces will absorb more water than larger pieces during cooking. Water-logged potato pieces lead to watery and bland mashed potatoes, and no one wants that! So when you’re cutting your potatoes before cooking them, make sure your pieces are at least 1 1/2” wide.
2. Letting Your Cooked Potatoes Sit in the Water
If you boil your potatoes before mashing them, it’s important to take them out of the pot as soon as they’re done cooking. If your potatoes continue to sit in the water, they’ll continue absorbing more water. This leads to the same issues I mentioned above—watery, bland mashed potatoes. Make sure to drain your potatoes as soon as they’re done!
3. Mashing Potatoes with a Food Processor
Your food processor is a very handy tool, but when it comes to making mashed potatoes, it is not your friend! Processing cooked potatoes will unlock all of the starches trapped inside them. Those starches will turn your mashed potatoes into a gummy, glue-like mess! Instead, use a handheld potato masher. The wavy kind is great if you like your potatoes a bit lumpy. If you like them really smooth, use a grid-style masher.
4. Adding Cold Liquids
Whether you like to add milk, cream, or chicken broth to your potatoes, it’s best to warm the liquid up first. Adding warm liquids to your warm potatoes makes them easier to combine. It will also help your potatoes will stay warmer, longer!
I like to take it to the next level by sautéing some garlic in a bit of butter, then pouring my milk in. Then I add the warmed garlic butter milk to my potatoes, and it makes for great texture and flavor!
What do you like to add to your mashed potatoes?
But whatever you do, don’t toss the potato boiling water- if your potatoes were peeled, that is. I always save it and all its flavors and vitamins. I collect potato, carrot and chicken {poaching) boiling waters to use for chicken noodle soup; so tasty! Some I use for baking bread. If I don’t use it fresh, I freeze it. The only “vegetable waters” I don’t save are cabbage and rutabaga (some call it swede).
P.S. Couscous is not a grain but pasta.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We like to roast some garlic until soft and add it to the mashed potatoes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yum!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Great tips! One I read recently was, after draining off the water, to leave heat on very low for a bit and allow the steam to escape from the potatoes (I would stir slightly during this process to make sure they don’t stick or burn) before mashing to help eliminate a lot of the moisture. I had never thought to warm up the butter and milk first, at very least I could measure and set them out before cooking the potatoes so they would be at room temperature. I like to add sea salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder and dried chives to mine.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sounds good except that garlic powder (& garlic salt) give me terrible indigestion. I don’t know why because regular garlic cloves do not bother me at all. We use chives from the garden: they add flavor and are really easy to grow. Another reason to use products that are grown close to you.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My family is Dutch and often make ‘stamp’, either carrots, onion, and potatoes, or spinach and potatoes mashed together. Lots of butter!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We love it served with smoked sausage.
The only way I could get my kids to eat spinach!
Sounds tasty!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Are there any particular recipees you used to make “stamp”? Sounds like a great way to eat cooked greens!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Maybe you’re familiar with the Irish dish, colcannon. Essentially, mashed potatoes with added cooked kale or cabbage. Lots of butter and cream, possibly some chopped cooked onions. Some add chopped cooked bits of bacon. Heaven!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If I’m having mashed potatoes with beef, I add beef dripping instead of butter. I know it sounds awful, but my dad did it and the mash just has a different level of flavour!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi – Don’t forget about celeriac root.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It is a great root vegetable to add to mashed potatoes !
It gives the potatoes a really fresh taste.
Celeriac root is also wonderful roasted!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Agree, I was going to say not to forget celariac, totally delicious.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My daughter adds mayonnaise to her mashed potatoes and gets rave reviews.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I personally don’t think mayonnaise belongs in mashed potatoes. Just get to enjoy the real flavor of potatoes with salt, milk, and a small pat of butter on top. Also a few green onions on top make the dish beautiful. Keep the mayonnaise for potato salad and sandwiches!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOL, hey, Diane, whatever floats :-) your boat, most folks add what ever they wish to add.
My son in law has allergies so we use Becel vegan margarine and almond milk in ours. They are delicious and no one can tell the difference.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have a question for all of you…. I have Thanksgiving dinner for 18 people on a 17×4 foot table. I try to have 2 dishes of the the same on either end s of the table. What would you suggest I use to keep my food warm as the food cools off by the time I sit down to eat. Chafing dishes? Thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.We use a crock pot. Works great.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t know if you can get it in the U.S. but there’s a stand with three spaces on it, underneath the stand is a metal tray, and under each space you put a tea light, I think it’s a brilliant idea, and it’s not so expensive that you couldn’t buy two. You can also use them as plate warmers. Take a look on Amazon.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Chafing dishes would be ideal! My local dollar store has the burners for chafing dishes, so be sure to look for some cheaper options.
However, ceramic casserole dishes with lids will keep warm quite a while on their own. That also goes for enameled dutch ovens, if you happen to have one. You could even plug in a crock pot and serve something like mashed potatoes out of it! Good luck Cindy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Why don’t you do a simple buffet style dinner? No doubling up of serving dishes, no need for the huge table, and easier cleanup! And you will eat with your guests! I feel quite nervous when seated around a huge table and the hostess has no time to sit with us.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Keep warm in oven until last minute. Put a lid over dishes on table to keep warm. Or try using a bread basket with cloth in it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a potato ricer to mash my potatoes!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Boil some carrots along with the potatoes and mash together. The resulting dish is a lovely color and has a wonderful taste – healthier, too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Throw in some garlic cloves when the potatoes are cooking then mash them with the potatoes….heavenly!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always add a generous amount of onion salt and sour cream to my mashed potatoes. I get rave reviews from guests using these additions. Also, if these items are added you can freeze mashed potatoes and they are still delicious! If frozen, it is really good to add shredded cheese to the top of them for a “different” flavor.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.It was a game-changer for me when I recently made mashed potatoes for 20 people and used my instant pot. I used russets and scooped the whole potatoes into my hand-held ricer for “mashing.” Made them again with fewer potatoes and didn’t add as much water so they didn’t cook soft enough. I let them sit in the hot water with the lid on for 10 more minutes and they were perfect. So using the same amount of water no matter how many potatoes is key. Delicious with the added butter and cream cheese. Followed this recipe. https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-mashed-potatoes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I, too, loved making my mashed potatoes in the IP, but rather than putting the potatoes in the water, I put them in my steamer basket. It keeps the potato above the water, so it doesn’t absorb anything but the steam. Dumped the water and then returned potatoes to the IP (that was already warm, so helps keep them HOT). Added warm butter/milk/garlic (and sometimes cream cheese) slurry and mashed with a hand held masher.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.OOTW (out of this world).
I wondered about that but followed the recipe. I’ll use a rack next time. I made Mississippi Beef Roast in the IP after removing the potatoes to rice them, and used the potato water for that. Figured it could make my gravy a mite tastier, per my mother’s use of some potato water in her gravy.
I am adding a chunk of butter and ground nutmeg always, sometimes ground turmeric – the whole becoming yellowish.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Topping with always with a bunch of freshly cut cilantros.
I love turmeric!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I cook my potatoes in chicken broth for added flavor. Will try the different kind of potatoes next time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use evaporated milk, butter, salt & pepper. Sometimes will also add garlic, as well. (:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I like my mashed potatoes whipped–pretty straight-forward, but do you have any tips for whipping?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Whipping makes them gummy as it breaks down the starch.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When you cut up your raw potatoes put them in water and then pour that water out and put fresh water in to boil them. This gets rid of some of the starch. My mother and grandmother always did this and their mashed potatoes are always light and fluffy.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I agree. I always rinse my potatoes a couple of times before boiling them. My mashed potatoes never come out gummy.
Be sure to dry the cooked potatoes the best that you can – extra water will get in the way of a light, whipped texture :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Carrot and onion make great additions! Carroty mashed potatoes was a childhood staple for me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My sister-in-law adds several milk-based products like cream cheese and cream to her mashed pots as well as different kinds of potatoes and a turnip. When she finishes making the dish, she serves it in a slow-cooker to keep them warm on the holiday buffet. Sooo good!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I think the biggest mistake people make when making mashed potatoes is not seasoning the water they are cooking the potatoes in. I always add a few bay leaves, salt (or some celery tops) and a teaspoon of peppercorns to my water before I boil my potatoes. It really adds a nice depth of flavor to them.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.What a great idea!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I add horseradish cream during the mashing process. Gives potatoes a lovely tangy taste. Be careful not to add too much… taste as you add
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yum!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Interesting. I love horseradish but never thought to put it in mashed potatoes.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.