Since Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks, I thought it would be a great idea to start sharing with you some of my favorite dishes that are great for all types of holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas! Starting here with my all time favorite, Easy Homemade Mashed Potatoes! Seriously, who doesn’t like mashed potatoes??
These Easy Mashed Potatoes are pure homemade comfort food! These homemade mashed potatoes are rich, creamy and packed with great flavor, simple to make, and always a crowd fave. This is such an easy side dish, perfect for the holidays or any time you’re after a hearty side.
If you’re looking for more sides, why not also try my delicious Oven Baked Brussels Sprouts or my Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots.
Why you’ll love these Easy Mashed Potatoes
- Rich and creamy. Made with sour cream, milk and butter – these fluffy mashed potatoes are dreamy creamy!
- Garlic potatoes. These creamy mashed potatoes have a lovely garlic hit, of course you can leave it out if you want – but I highly recommend including it!
- An easy side dish. Made with a few pantry staples and super simple to prep, you can easily scale this recipe up to feed the crowd.
- A versatile side dish. This recipe is the best side dish recipe you can serve with so many proteins. It’s my family’s favorite all year round!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Yukon Gold Potatoes
- Sour Cream
- Salt & Pepper
- Milk
- Butter
- Garlic (optional)
- Chives
How to make these Easy Mashed Potatoes
- Parboil your potatoes – Bring a pot filled half way with water to boil. Add in the salt and the cubed, peeled potatoes then cook until they are fork soft (enough to easily insert a fork).
- Mash – Drain the water and return potatoes to pot. Add in the butter, garlic, salt to taste, hot milk and mash well with a potato masher until you obtain and very creamy texture.
- Serve – Remove and transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsps. of melted butter on top and then crack some fresh ground pepper on top. Garnish with some chopped chives and serve.
Recipe notes and tips
- Use Yukon Golden or Russet Potatoes.
- Cut your potatoes into big cubes. Cutting them up too small gives water more of an opportunity to make its way inside the potatoes and will make them too watery.
- Boil the water before adding in the potatoes.
- If you want a really creamy taste and texture, you can’t let the potatoes cool before mashing, you want to start mashing as soon as they are drained.
- Salt the water you cook them in.
- Drain well to avoid mushy potatoes.
- Tastes constantly! This is so important, season and taste often so you can get the right level of salt and pepper into the recipe.
- Do not use a food processor.
- If you would like to whip the potatoes up in a cake mixer and use the whipping whisk, you can do so as well and transfer back to the pot.
- Use full fat milk, cheese and sour cream.
- Melt butter with herbs to infuse flavors if adding in herbs.
- Feel free to omit the garlic, these recipe still tastes great!
FAQ’s
Are Potatoes Healthy?
A lot of people think potatoes are not “healthy” because they come with quite a bit of carbs. But potatoes can be healthy based on how you cook them and what your goals are as far as nutritional intake. Potatoes are low in fat and have many vitamins and nutrients. If you are on a low carb diet, potatoes might not be the best option for you.
Even though potatoes are healthy, they still have carbs. The best ways serve potatoes are boiling, steaming, roasting or baking. Bottom line is when eaten in moderation and prepared in a healthy way, potatoes can be a nutritious addition to your diet.
What are the best potatoes for mashing?
The last thing you want to serve for your family is a gluey and sticky mashed potatoes! That’s why you must choose the right type of potatoes to make the best and creamiest mashed potato! You want potatoes that are starchy and have a buttery consistency.
The best two types of are Yukon Golden Potatoes and Russet Potatoes. Red and white potatoes require more mashing and can sometimes lead to a pasty or sticky consistency. As far as calories go, depending on what you put into them, the calories per serving will vary.
What else can I add to these Easy Mashed Potatoes?
You can add basically anything you like to your mashed potatoes. Some examples are:
- Cream Cheese
- Cheddar Cheese
- Blue Cheese
- Sour cream
- Dill
- Chili Flakes
- Chopped Onions
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Rosemary
Other recipes you might like
- Oven Roasted Parmesan Herbed Potatoes
- Parmesan Herbed Potatoes
- Spicy Cilantro Hassleback Potatoes
- Food Prep with Food Saver
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this Easy Mashed Potatoes recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Easy Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Yukon golden potatoes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tsps. salt 1 for boiling, 1 to adjust the taste
- 1/2 cup butter + 2 tbsps. melted for topping
- 1/2 cup hot milk
- 1 tsp. grated garlic optional
- Chives and fresh ground black pepper for garnishing
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes into 2 inch cubes. Rinse and set aside.
- Bring a pot filled half way with water to boil. Add in the salt and potatoes and cook until they are fork soft (enough to easily insert a fork)
- Drain the water and return potatoes to pot. Add in the butter, salt to taste, hot milk and mash well with a potato masher until you obtain and very creamy texture. Note, if you are adding garlic, melt the butter and garlic together at the same time to infuse the garlic flavor.
- Remove and transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving bowl. Drizzle 2 tbsps. of melted butter on top and then crack some fresh ground pepper on top. Garnish with some chopped chives and serve.
- You can cover and keep on low for a few more minutes and then remove to serve.
Notes
- Use Yukon Golden or Russet Potatoes.
- Cut your potatoes into big cubes. Cutting them up too small gives water more of an opportunity to make its way inside the potatoes and will make them too watery.
- Boil the water before adding in the potatoes.
- If you want a really creamy taste and texture, you can’t let the potatoes cool before mashing, you want to start mashing as soon as they are drained.
- Salt the water you cook them in.
- Drain well to avoid mushy potatoes.
- Tastes constantly! This is so important, season and taste often so you can get the right level of salt and pepper into the recipe.
- Do not use a food processor.
- If you would like to whip the potatoes up in a cake mixer and use the whipping whisk, you can do so as well and transfer back to the pot.
- Use full fat milk, cheese and sour cream.
- Melt butter with herbs to infuse flavors if adding in herbs.
- Feel free to omit the garlic, these recipe still tastes great!
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