My Husband Cracked the Code to the Best-Ever Mashed Potatoes

Sometimes the simplest food is the hardest to perfect. Omelets and scrambled eggs might seem easy, but those basic-seeming dishes are also what chefs are often tested on to determine their grasp of cooking techniques. That’s not to say that home cooks are held to the same standard as chefs (you should see my browned omelets, a preference I blame on my mom), but it is to say that a little technique in the kitchen goes a long way.

Take my husband Matt’s mashed potatoes, for example. While they’re not a cheffy-style potato puree, over the years he has fine-tuned his technique to create what, in my opinion, is pretty close to the ideal mashed potato. They’re fluffy and smooth and rich but not too rich and they’re full of flavor. 

They’re great for weeknight dinners alongside a roast chicken (or Matt’s signature chicken breasts), perfect for topping a shepherd’s pie and great for holidays, like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Here’s what you need to know to make them at your house. 

Related: My Husband Cracked the Code to the Best-Ever Roasted Carrots

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How to Make Smooth, Fluffy, Flavorful Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Matt’s next-level mashed potatoes aren’t difficult to make, but they do require a little more time than smashing and stirring. The few extra steps are well worth it, though. 

1. Pick your potato. Matt usually uses Russet potatoes because he’s found that they make a light and fluffy mash, but if you like Yukon Golds, those work well too. Matt peels the potatoes and cuts them into large pieces (1- to 2-inch chunks) or quarters the potatoes if they’re small. He’s usually pulling potatoes out of one of those 5-pound bags of potatoes, which often have a variety of sizes. 

2. Start cold. The peeled potato chunks go into a pot of cold salted water, then he brings the water to a boil. Many chefs recommend this method because starting the potatoes in cold water helps them cook evenly and helps them retain their texture and structure. 

3. Toss in some garlic. To me, this is what really sets Matt’s mashed potatoes apart from the rest. He tosses in 2 or 3 whole peeled garlic with the potatoes and cooks them along with the veggies. They add the perfect amount of garlic flavor without overwhelming the potato flavor the way raw garlic sometimes can. 

Related: How to Make Mashed Potatoes 10x Better, According to Bobby Flay

4. Use the right tool. Thanks to my grandma, I’ll always use a potato ricer to make mashed potatoes. I loved her mashed potatoes (she and Matt could have compared notes) and she once told me that was the trick to their soft and fluffy texture. Matt learned about the joys of a potato ricer before he met me (he thinks he got the tip from Alton Brown), but the fact that we both owned this fairly specific kitchen tool was another sign that we were meant to be. 

But I digress. The point of using a potato ricer is to create a light, fluffy pile of potato “snow.” Once you add your flavorings, all you have to do is give it a quick stir to come together. Overworking cooked potatoes can make them sticky and gluey; ricing them prevents that. (If you don’t have a potato ricer, you can push the cooked potatoes through the holes in a colander.)

For his mashed potatoes, Matt scoops the potatoes from the pot with a slotted spoon and puts them in the ricer, along with the garlic cloves. All of that goes into the bowl before he adds the other ingredients. 

5. Finish with dairy. Next up: butter, milk and cream. The reason for butter is obvious, but he likes using a combo of milk and cream because the cream adds some richness and then he uses the milk to get the potatoes to the right consistency. Start with a splash of cream, then gradually add milk until your potatoes are as thick or thin as you like them. Matt prefers a medium-thick mash, but this is your dinner, so do what feels right to you.

Serve with butter and wait for the compliments to roll in. 

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