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Close up of The Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes
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5 from 10 votes

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. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Mixing Time10 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Holiday, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 4
Cost: $8

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.
Equipment: 
Le Creuset Dutch Oven | Potato Ricer | Small Saucepan | Silicon Spatula | Vegetable Peeler

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