perfect mashed potatoes

When I was younger I always thought mashed potatoes were so easy to make.
Peel, chop, boil, mash, add butter and milk and Voila! Mashed potatoes.
Then I tried to make them. That way. With no recipe. And that is when I realized I was wrong about them being that simple.
I mean, they are very simple to make, but there's a little more to it than that.
If you under-cook them, you will have chunks of raw potato in your mash.
If you over cook them, you will just have a mess.

And if you cook them perfectly, drain them and immediately mash them, you will have soggy mushy, watered down mash (which is exactly what happened the first time I made them way back when...)

So what's the secret you ask?

I will tell you... (keep reading)...

Peel & Chop. I recommend one potato per person if they are good sized, cut into @1" pieces.

Use whatever kind you like. I prefer Russet.

Then put them in an appropriately sized pot full of water, and let it come to a boil while the taters are in there. No need to wait for the water to boil before adding the potatoes. This way actually gives you better results.

Boil until they fall apart when you stick a fork in them. maybe 15-20 minutes.

Now, here comes the important part... drain and let them sit.

Yes, I said let them sit and dry out for a few minutes. This will help make them light and fluffy. And it only takes a few minutes, so be patient. Get the butter and milk, pour yourself a glass of wine, whatever. Just give these babies a minute to dry off from the dip they just took in the hot tub.

Feel free to give them a few shakes of flavor though- salt, pepper, garlic, whatever. They will soak it in real good while they are drying off.

Now, many of you may be asking "what is that thing she's got the potatoes in?". Well, I will tell you- it's a food mill. Great for both draining AND mashing these little spuds. Some of you may use traditional potato mashers, or a wire whisk, or an electric mixer. And those are all fine and dandy. But in my experience, the BEST tool to use for this task is a food mill. I absolutely LOVE mine!

Anyways.. on to the mashing!

After the potatoes have had a change to dry out, then you can mash them up. This is where the mill comes in handy. Just spin the handle and they go right through into whatever bowl you have underneath. This results in small, fluffy bits of potato that will give you a heavenly mash.

Now all you have to do is add a little milk (and butter if that suits your fancy. I recommend using melted butter). The trick of this step is to add just a little bit of milk at a time, so you don't ruin these beauties and make them soggy.

Remember- you can always add more, but you can't take any away! So be careful! Add a little at a time until it's the perfect consistency.

For this batch of mash, I used 3 large potatoes, and about 1/4 cup of milk. 

That's it!

Unless you want to get creative and make them a little more savory.

To this batch I added (leftover) dill, leek and cheddar.

You can add bacon too. Or sour cream. Or garlic. Really, you can add anything you want!!!

Well, I hope this has helped, and that your next batch of mashed potatoes are something you are proud of. 

And I hope this got you excited about my food mill too, because it will be featured in another great blog soon!!!

Ciao till then <3