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The best Creamy Mashed Potatoes consists of perfectly cooked russet potatoes, melted butter, heavy cream and a touch of tartness like crème fraîche. They reheat like a dream and will be a family favorite. Serve them with my stuffing muffins, pot roast and homemade apple pie.
Ingredients for Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Russet Potatoes – I love russets because they’re easy to find and have the perfect amount of body to them.
- Butter – This is an absolute must for delicious creamy mashed potatoes.
- Heavy Cream – This adds to the richness of the perfect potatoes.
- Crème Fraîche – I love adding something tart so it cuts some of the richness. In this case, I love using crème fraîche.
- Chives – These add a touch of freshness when added to the top that is much needed with an otherwise rich dish.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe card below.
What Makes Up The Best Mashed Potatoes
- Potato type (my preference!) – Russet Potatoes. I tried Yukon Golds and they were pretty tasty but they definitely have more body to them and took way longer to break down. My vote is for russets all the way!
- Processing method (masher vs. potato ricer) – Potato Ricer. This was a super easy call. Back in the 90s when I used to help my mom in the kitchen, I use to help her use the masher but as I grew up and started loving this food-lyfe, I quickly switched to the potato ricer. It is the ONLY way to go.
- Milk vs. Cream Cheese vs. Cream – Warm Heavy Cream. I’ve tried mashed potatoes with milk (I used to do this); it’s solid. I love heavy cream and I like to warm it. It combines beautifully and when you mix it up, it adds a nice airiness to the potatoes.
- Melted butter vs. Cold cubes of butter vs. Room temperature cubes of Butter – Melted Butter. A lot of people claim cubes of cold butter is the way to go; I tried it with cold cubes of butter and found NO difference. At all. I also love using melted butter because for this recipe, I simply combine the heavy cream and butter and warm them up together. It makes it a bit easier and is less fussy.
- Something tart – Crème Fraîche. I like to add a tangy element. Some people love adding buttermilk. But I prefer the creaminess and flavor of crème fraîche. Sour cream will work, too!
How to Make The Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Wash and peel the potatoes. And then cube them up into a uniform size. This helps with even cooking. Add them to a pot and cover them with cold water and add a few liberal pinches of salt.
- Bring them to a boil and cook them for about 18 to 20 minutes. You want them fork tender; not overly cooked! Pour them in a colander and allow them to dry out.
- Meanwhile, warm up your butter and heavy cream over low heat. And then add in a few smashed garlic cloves to steep.
- Add a few spoonfuls of potatoes to a food ricer and squeeze the potatoes back into the pot. Continue until you work your way through all of the potatoes
- Pour in the warm butter and heavy cream mixture (being sure to discard the garlic cloves). Add a few pinches of salt and the creme fraiche or sour cream. Mix it up until all cohesive and combined. It might seem like a lot of liquid at first but keep going, it’ll come together.
- Warm up the potatoes over low flame (if needed). Serve them with gravy or more melted butter, black pepper and/or freshly minced chives.
Tips and Tricks
- How to Reheat these Mashed Potatoes – I added a few tablespoons of cream to the bottom of a pot set over medium-low heat and then I just added the potatoes and covered the pot. I mixed it slowly and let it slowly come to temperature.
- Will regular milk work? I know I’ll get this question and the answer is YES. But use less since it’s thinner in texture. I would use 3/4 cup milk vs 1 1/4 cups heavy cream.
- What about adding cheese? I have a recipe for Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes. They are divine.
What to Serve with These Creamy Mashed Potatoes
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Creamy Mashed Potatoes
The best Creamy Mashed Potatoes consists of perfectly cooked russet potatoes, melted butter, heavy cream and a touch of tartness like creme fraiche. They reheat like a dream and are truly my favorite version of mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds russet potatoes
- Kosher salt
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for garnish – this is optional!
- 3-4 peeled garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
- Freshly ground pepper
- Fresh chives, minced, as garnish
Instructions
To Cook the Potatoes:
- Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into 2-inch chunks. This doesn’t have to be perfect but try your best to get them to be uniform in size. This will help with even cooking!
- Add the potatoes to a Dutch oven or medium pot and cover them with cold water and add a few liberal pinches of kosher salt. Place the pot over medium-high and cook the potatoes for about 18 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender. You don't want to cook them too much or else they'll be water-logged.
- Drain the potatoes in colander and allow them to dry off a bit, about 3 to 5 minutes.
To Warm Up the Cream Mixture:
- In a small saucepan, add the heavy cream and butter. Warm over medium-low heat until the butter has melted. Smash the garlic cloves and add them to the heavy cream mixture. Allow to steep for about 10 minutes. I like to do this step while the potatoes are cooking.
To Rice the Potatoes:
- In batches, add a few spoonful of potatoes to the potato ricer and press, adding the riced potatoes back to the pot. Repeat until you work your way through the boiled potatoes.
- Pour in the warm heavy cream/butter mixture, a few pinches of salt and the crème fraîche or sour cream; mix until fully combined. It might seem like too much liquid at first but keep mixing (don't overmix them!) until just combined. Give it a taste and adjust the salt according to your liking.
- If needed, you can rewarm the potatoes on low-heat. When you're ready to serve the potatoes, add them to a serving bowl and pour more melted butter on top, along with a few cracks of black pepper and fresh chives.
How to Reheat:
- If you want to make this ahead, you can make the potatoes, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- To reheat them, add a few tablespoons of heavy cream to the bottom of a medium-sized pot and place it over medium-low heat. Add the cold potatoes and cover the pot. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes and then stir them. Cover the pot again and allow to warm up for about 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat until the potatoes are warm.
- You can also microwave them lol.
Notes
Tips and Tricks:
- How to Reheat these Mashed Potatoes – I added a few tablespoons of cream to the bottom of a pot set over medium-low heat and then I just added the potatoes and covered the pot. I mixed it slowly and let it slowly come to temperature.
- Will regular milk work? I know I’ll get this question and the answer is YES. But use less since it’s thinner in texture. I would use 3/4 cup milk vs 1 1/4 cups heavy cream.
Nutrition
Serving: 6g | Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 25mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!
These mashed potatoes have been my go-to for years!
So good! I used 3/4 cup of milk as specified in the notes and it was delicious.
My go to recipe! Everybody asks me where I got it from
Lol love hearing this!