Chef John's Perfect Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Thank you to Chef John for making the video. I couldn't figure out why I kept getting starchy water until he explained the method of cutting the potatoes lengthwise vs. cutting into cubes. I ran out of whole milk, so I used buttermilk. Plus, to make them extra creamy, I added 3 tbs. of sour cream. By making those adjustments to the recipe, I'll just say that they were such a hit at thanksgiving dinner, all we had to take home was the container I brought them to dinner in!

Classic! This is THE method to use for really good mashed potatoes. It is essential to add salt to the cooking water - oh and start with cool water - bring to temp and then reduce the heat so the water just simmers, not boils. This way the taters cook evenly. Thanks for posting this Chef John.

Sooo good! I can't do dairy so I used earth balance DF "butter" and unsweetened oat milk (if you need a milk substitute I highly recommend going with oat--the flavor is super mild and does not impact a recipes flavor like a lot of soy and nut milks do). I used this recipe to make mashed potato & gravy "bomb" sliders. I lightly coated discs of potatoes (with a sm. frozen cube of gravy in the center), with white cake flour, then dipped in a flax egg, and then in panko bread crumbs. They maintained their integrity perfectly when fried at 350 F for 2 min. Thanks for another great recipe Chef John!

Fantastic recipe & the video is almost a must watch for this one- he goes over the technique & THAT is what makes the difference! This is perfect for your simple, traditional mashed potatoes, but the method makes these the BEST creamy, fluffy & flavorful treat. As far as prep/method- I didn’t have a “masher” of any sort. A rolling pin could have worked, didn’t want to use a mixer in fear of over mixing, but I don’t mind “chunky” mashed potatoes, so I went w/ a basic fork & whisk- if you’ve cooked the potatoes properly, they should break down fairly easy; little effort. The only thing I did to stray from the recipe was add an additional potato, and about 1tsp. of garlic powder. I also got sidetracked while I had the boiled but drained potatoes sitting back in the pot before mashing.... turning the heat back on to high just while mashing made an excellent “save” & allowed the consistency to stay soft & rebound quite impressively! This is definitely the way to go when it comes to making a classic that will WOW, room for error & all! Adding a garnish of arranged green onion never hurts for presentation, either!

I've always heard from other cooks to only cut the potatoes lengthwise and as few cuts as possible to keep them from getting watered down. I thought it was just a grandma says thing and I still don't know why, but Chef John does it too, so there must be something to it. Be sure to use equally sized potatoes so your halves cook evenly as some of my potatoes were bigger, and there were lumps when trying to mash them, while the smaller halves were getting a little overdone. I didn't use a masher tool as it's a pain to clean, and I'd rather just pull out the hand mixer and pop the beaters in the dishwasher with all the rest of the dishes. I only used enough cold water to cover the potatoes and 1 tsp. of salt for the water. These turned out thick and rich and once I got the salt, pepper, and butter adjusted to my liking, they were really good. I still prefer my method, and I leave a little potato water behind as the starch helps thicken the potatoes but that is how I was taught by generations before me.

Perfect every time. Just follow the directions. I make the traditional recipe often. However, today, I made a batch for 30 servings using pots to boil and a roaster pan for mashing. Had the hubby help… lots of potatoes to mash… and it tasted absolutely delicious as is, but per our Thanksgiving Day tradition, I added garlic, bacon, sharp cheddar, and a little sour cream. Excellent as is or as a base for any style of seasonal seasoning ?? Mm mm Good!!!! Thanks Chef John!!!!

This is how I usually make mine however on special occasions I add a couple of garlic chunks and use stock instead of water, you then can use some of the left over stock for your gravy

I hate making mashed potatoes more than any other thing possible. So much so that when I moved recently I decided not to bring my potato masher. I found that out when I needed to mash these. I had to get out the hand mixer. They are the best mashed potatoes I have ever had! By far! So easy and amazingly light and fluffy. I may stick with the mixer since they came out so well. Every time I need a "sure thing" recipe I search Chef John. He has yet to fail me.

I followed the steps to eliminate too much water, cutting potatos lengthwise and draining and returning to heat until most of steam is heated out. An important step to increae fluffiness, I use room temperature butter and the milk is prewarmed on the stove. Do not over mash or whip potatos. Turns out perfect everytime.

These potatoes are scrumptious. I left the skin on, added heavy cream and garlic.

I love mashed potatoes but hate the thought of eating a ton of butter and cream which most recipes call for. These really are perfect. I make them all of the time now and always have leftovers in the fridge. My husband makes a fantastic tangy 24 hour Greek yogurt that we stir into the potatoes after reheating which makes them even more creamy and delicious.

I'm all in on this recipe, my adjustments are roasted garlic and shredded cheddar cheese , also while cooking potatoes add 1/4 head of cabbage, cook till both are tender and mash as directed...season to taste.

Perfect every time. Nothing I've ever made from Chef John has been bad

Great, easy mashed potatoes recipe! It came out very light and creamy. In the future I might add some garlic to it.

Follow the directions, and you'll have perfect mashed potatoes!

Best way to make mashed potatoes! And when you add the salt and pepper that would be the time to add other flavors/ bacon to finish!

hands down one of the best mashed potatoes. the video and the tips are amazingly helpful.

I made it for Thanksgiving. It was easy and delicious!

I love Chef John’s recipes. I made the Chef John’s meatballs and get the same reaction from everyone; “they’re great”! The mashed potato recipe is easy to follow and the lowering of the heat is where I believe made all the difference with the way I used to do them (full rolling boil for 40 mins). I believe this helped reserve more flavor when not over boiling. Thanks Chef John for all the fantastic recipes. My family appreciate them all!!!

This is now a family favorite.