Perfect, fluffy and flavorful mashed potatoes are hard to make without a chunk of golden butter. It adds additional flavor nuances to the dish, and it is also easier to reheat such mashed potatoes.
Mashed potatoes recipe
For the perfect mashed potatoes, you need:
- 1 kilogram of peeled potatoes;
- 1 tablespoon of salt;
- 6 tablespoons of butter;
- ½ glass of milk 2.5% fat.
Not all potato varieties are suitable for mashed potatoes, you should choose those that have a lot of starch. It is he who makes the puree airy. In addition, these varieties contain less water and absorb well not only milk, but also butter. Choose smooth, firm potatoes with an even skin. If you want to boil them in their skins for a fluffier puree, make sure all tubers are the same size.
Discard potatoes with wrinkled skin, green spots, "eyes".
Wash the potatoes. You can boil them in the skins, or peel and cut into equal cubes, so the potatoes will cook faster and more evenly. Drain the water from the finished potatoes, peel the boiled potatoes while they are hot, add butter and salt. Crush the potatoes with a special crush or pass through a potato press. Add milk gradually while stirring.
You can add chunks of sauteed onions or crispy bacon, fresh herbs, and some nutmeg to the mashed potatoes.
Often mashed potatoes are prepared with the addition of other vegetables, replacing the potatoes with them up to half. Add white cabbage, cut into ribbons, Brussels sprouts, halved, peeled and diced celery, carrots, rutabagas, carrots and parsnips, pumpkin and beets, and green peas.
Why mashed potatoes may not work
If the mashed potatoes turned out with lumps, the reason for this may be that you chose tubers of different sizes or cut the potatoes into unequal pieces and it is not all boiled down. It is not necessary to keep the potatoes on the fire longer, so that all the pieces will surely boil down, as this can lead to the potatoes being overcooked and becoming mealy, which means they are tasteless.
If the potato looks like a paste, then you have been pushing it for too long. That is why it is not recommended to beat the potatoes with a blender. Potatoes are slimy if you add cold milk or butter to them. That is why the butter is softened to room temperature before being put into the dish, and the milk or cream is warmed up. You cannot make mashed potatoes and replace butter with margarine, as this is a completely different type of cooking oil. Another popular mistake when making mashed potatoes is that someone pours in too much liquid, which is why it is not poured all at once, but a little bit.
