Mashed potato - how do you make yours extra yummy?

[Holymoly321]

Am making some at mo and just wondered if I am missing any tricks to make them extra tasty

[NoahDear]

I sit on it.

[jooseyfruit]

mash BEFORE adding butter or milk.

[Bleh]

Cheese and lots of butter (obviously not for the dieters)

[pooter]

black pepper and BUTTER oooh i want some now!

[pooexplosions]

roast garlic, or wholegrain mustard, or parmegiano, or just loads of butter and/or cream.

[hottiebear]

Use baked potatoes- I put them in the microwave to cook and then in the oven to get crispy skin which I can eat while I'm making the rest of the dinner. They're so soft and gooey you hardly even need to mash them much or add too much butter.

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Mash with a potato ricer, add a large knob of butter (at least 25g), salt (plenty of) and black pepper and a slosh of milk. Beat with a wooden spoon before serving.

If you're watching your fat intake, substitute the butter with low fat Greek yogurt (Total brand is a good one).

[nickelbabe]

add butter (not marg or spread) and whole milk and mash with a proper potato masher with a kind of whipping motion inbetween mashes.
i love mashed potato!

[ChopsTheDuck]

add olive oil and squeezed out cloves of roasted garlic.

Or truffle oil and cream for special occassions.

[Holymoly321]

Thanks all - will add lots of butter!

[purpleduck]

cream cheese with herby bits in it.

Or boil some onion with the potato and just mash as normal

[mathanxiety]

When you've drained the potatoes (which should be 'flowery' not sticky type potatoes), put them back over the heat, in the pot, and let the remaining liquid get seared off. You should get a scorching potato smell. Then add a few lumps of butter, then milk, while the heat is still on under the pot. Allow the butter and milk to foam up and boil around the lumpy potatoes, then turn off the heat and mash with a masher or ricer. Serve asap. If you like, add chopped scallions, chives or roasted garlic as you mash.

[TabithaTwitchet]

Mash then add butter and pepper and HOT milk (I give mine 30 secs in the microwave), then return to the pan on a very low heat for a few more minutes, beating it occasionally.

I am also not averse to stirring in sour cream/ chopped chives/ chopped spring onion/ wholegrain mustard/ Hellmans Dijonaise/ grated cheddar/ Philadelphia - although usually not all at once .

[sweetheart]

I have never done it but I have heard people talk about putting a raw egg in - no idea why but it's supposed to be lovely!

[AMumInScotland]

I second the potato ricer - it's a bit of a faff, but everything comes out lovely and smooth. Then stir in butter and milk and return to the heat till it's hot right through again.

[minervaitalica]

Mash potatoes when they are hot - never let them go cold
POtato ricers are great
A bit of nutmeg also gives a twist (along butter and cream)
Warm up the cream and/or the milk before using

[Oblomov]

Ricer. Lots of butter. An egg. and lots of pepper.

[Oblomov]

sorry, i use milk aswell. and salt.
but assumed those were norms.
was just thinking that like others a ricer makes a big difference. and lots of butter and less milk helps. And I think the creaminess of an egg helps.

[BonsoirAnna]

Cook the potatoes until they are about to break up. Drain. Put milk and lots of butter in the pan you have just emptied and heat until steaming. Put potatoes back in pan, break up with a fork and then mash, adding salt and lots of pepper.

[MarthaFarquhar]

agree with heating the milk. I also use 1/2 milk 1/2 cream, more butter than is strictly decent, and a dollop of grain mustard.

If you are at all concerned re your saturated fat intake then just have a bloody ryvita instead.

[MrsBadger]

butter etc notwithstanding, beating them with a wooden spoon as BIWI says after mashing is hard work but worth it

and everyone is right - heating the milk really helps

[PinkTulips]

boil spuds, drain, pour in milk and a good nob of butter, pt back on the heat and re boil, mash, whisk in a beaten egg and seasoning, mix in chopped scallions.

all my family do it like that, can't eat it any other way!

[pooter]

a raw egg - bleugggghhhh!

[PinkTulips]

It cooks in the mash and makes it soo creamy and rich... honestly, try it and you'll never eat mash without it... all other mash will taste dry and tasteless