Food Network Kitchen’s “The Best Mashed Potatoes” is a four-ingredient method for 4 to 6 servings, with about 40 minutes of active time. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so this page summarises the recipe and its tips to show what to expect. We have not cooked it. The quantities, times and advice below are the source’s, so check the original page when you make it.
Ingredients
- 2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (the source gives no amounts)
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup heavy cream, heated
The source rates the recipe Easy. For a bigger table, it suggests planning on about ½ lb of potatoes per person, which means a family of eight would need roughly 4 lb.
Method
- Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water. Salt the water generously, then bring it to a boil over high heat.
- Lower the heat to medium and simmer gently until a knife tip slides in with no resistance. The source says this takes about 30 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pot.
- Set the pot over low heat for about 2 minutes so the leftover water steams off.
- Mash well with a potato masher.
- Fold in the butter with a spatula until it melts, then fold in the cream.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Why the source says each step matters
- Cold water to start. Starting in cold water helps the potatoes cook evenly. Salting the water seasons them all the way through, and the source suggests several generous pinches.
- A gentle simmer. A rolling boil can make mashed potatoes gluey, so the recipe asks for a simmer.
- Steaming off moisture. The article stresses that too much moisture in the potato makes the mash loose and gluey, which is the reason for the two minutes over low heat.
- Heated cream. The recipe heats the cream before adding it, after the butter has melted in.
Choosing potatoes and tools
The source says starchy potatoes work best, either russets or Yukon golds. Waxy potatoes such as red bliss or fingerlings can turn out lumpy. A hand masher is the simple route. For the smoothest texture, it recommends a ricer instead.
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Dairy-free and make-ahead notes
For a dairy-free version, the source suggests Yukon golds and good-quality olive oil in place of the butter and cream. It also says the potatoes can be frozen: cool them completely, store them in airtight containers for up to 3 months, thaw in the refrigerator, and reheat gently. If you plan to freeze any of a Thanksgiving batch, cool it fully before it goes in the container.
Food safety for leftovers
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises refrigerating cooked leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if they have been in temperatures above 90°F, and reheating them to 165°F, checking with a food thermometer when you use a microwave. That applies to a mashed potato dish sitting on a holiday table as much as to any other cooked food.
This is a stovetop dish, so it can free up the oven for the main course. Our summaries of the turkey roasting times and the homemade cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie methods cover other parts of the meal, and the same caution applies: they are summaries of published recipes, not our own cooking tests.
Recipe credit and sources
Recipe: Food Network Kitchen, “The Best Mashed Potatoes,” with an article by Dana Beninati. All quantities and steps belong to the original, so use the full page for the exact recipe.
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