I come from a family of great cooks. For as long as I can remember, our family gatherings have started with a menu. As granddaughters grew into young women, the menu expanded so everyone could contribute something to the table. Over time, the menu adjusted to assure that family favorites are not lost as the elders leave us. Gatherings have moved to new hosts and homes, but the tradition of good home cooking has spanned the generations. Some of my favorite “memorable moments” are linked to these special times.
So are some moments I’d rather forget.
One of those moments found my sister, stepmother, and I reviewing the menu for the family Christmas dinner. Most of the items were already assigned to aunts and cousins, and we were dividing the rest among us. As I asked for the third time what I could bring, Sis scanned the list and said, “you can mash the potatoes.” Notice that she did not say I could “bring mashed potatoes.” For these dinners, “bringing” mashed potatoes means peeling, cooking, and mashing 10 pounds of real spuds. This crowd could detect boxed flakes from a mile away no matter how much gravy might be poured over them. For as long as I can remember, the mashed potatoes have stood proudly next to the ham, turkey, and dressing; we have never had a holiday meal without them. The one year we attempted to break from Thanksgiving tradition and have a fish fry the youngsters protested. That year the traditional favorites stood proudly in line ahead of the fish, hushpuppies, and fried potatoes.
Visions of disappointed diners danced in my head as I said, “I can’t mash potatoes.”
My sister, thinking I was concerned about mashing potatoes at home and driving 30 miles to dinner, quickly explained that I could cook and mash the potatoes onsite since we would be coming early for pre-dinner preparations. Problem solved, she went back to the list.
I shook my head and repeated, “I can’t mash potatoes.”
Sis stopped mid check. “What do you mean you can’t mash potatoes? You know… you do know how to mash potatoes, don’t you?”
I shook my head. Oh yes, I knew the process. I had watched my sister, my mother, and an assortment of aunts and grandmothers mash potatoes over the years. But my mashed potatoes were nothing like the fluffy mountains of creamy, steamy goodness they achieved. I thought surely after I bought a name-brand high-powered stand mixer that I would make good mashed potatoes. But no matter what I tried, my mashed potatoes were a grey, gluey glob.
We peeled the potatoes and covered them in water overnight. The next morning, I watched my sister cook and mash those potatoes into creamy fluffy goodness. I had a lot of good recipes and was known among friends and coworkers as a good cook. So what if I could make a pie crust from scratch; how could I call myself a good cook when I was stumped by a $3.99 bag of potatoes? I was more determined than ever to master the mashed potato.
I still won’t call myself the master of the mashed potato… but I can honestly say I’m no longer stumped. On an otherwise ordinary day, a day when no planets aligned and no epic historical events occurred, something clicked. I made good mashed potatoes that day, and I’ve been making them ever since.
Mashed potatoes, anyone?
Mashed Potatoes (serves 3 to 4)
Disclaimer: Like those I’ve watched all the years of my life, I have no exact recipe. I can’t say that I’ve ever seen a recipe for mashed potatoes in my collection of “home cook” books and recipes. I can tell you the steps, I can show you pictures and estimate the measurements, but I can’t tell you exactly how I progressed from grey gluey glob to fluffy goodness. I suspect the secret lies in the advice a friend’s band instructor once wrote in her report card… “Practice!”
Here is my method:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and washed
salt to taste
butter or margarine*
milk*
2 to 3 ounces cream cheese (approximately 1/4 of an 8 oz. bar, optional)*
* Since the original posting of this recipe, my cholesterol numbers prompted the doctor to recommend a heathier diet. I have replaced butter with heart-healthy spread, and I use just enough milk and fat-free cream cheese or plain greek yogurt to achieve a good consistency when making mashed potatoes at home. On the rare occasion that I mash potatoes for a family event, I stick to the family method.
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| These are what I call “medium” potatoes. I use russet potatoes because that’s what the expert potato mashers in my family use. |
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| I use a potato peeler to remove the skins because my husband says I waste too much potato trying to peel them with a knife. |
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| I wash the potatoes and cut them into chunks, right into the container I use for cooking. I sprinkle them with a good “dusting” of salt from the shaker before cooking. |
My mama always boiled her potatoes for mashing, and so does my sister and probably most of my family. For home, I use my microwave steamer and cover the potatoes with water. I also have an electric vegetable steamer and a stovetop steamer insert (pictured above), which I used with success during the early days of my practice sessions. I cook the potatoes until they are fork tender, and if I boil them in water I make sure all the water is completely drained off before I mash them.
Pour the cooked potatoes into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and sprinkle with salt.
How much salt you use depends on how salty you like your food. Just remember that you can always add salt at the table, but you can’t take out salt once added to your dish.
I start the mixer on low speed just until the potatoes begin to break up. Then I start adding milk, a little at a time, and continue mixing. I add the milk just small splashes at a time so I don’t get too much.
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| This is my attempt to illustrate what the potatoes look like along the way as I mix them. |
The cream cheese is optional but makes the potatoes creamier. If I use the cream cheese, I allow for that as part of adding the liquid. Like salt, you can always add more liquid if needed.
The potatoes should not be runny when mashed, but they should also not be too stiff. The goal is creamy and fluffy. I’ve seen school menus use the term “whipped potatoes” instead of “mashed potatoes,” and that makes sense to me now that I think about the process. I increase the speed of the mixer as I go along, moving from a “mix” to a “whipped” consistency.
At home, I just spoon the potatoes right out of the mixing bowl onto the plate. For purposes of this illustration, I put the potatoes into a bowl that belonged to my Aunt Louise.
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| I must confess.. I could have added a little more milk to these potatoes for a more “whipped” consistency… but I needed the milk I had left for gravy! I still think Aunt Louise would be proud. |