Chef John’s Perfect Mashed Potatoes

  4.8 – 699 reviews  • Mashed Potato Recipes

This Moroccan beef and lentil soup, which we refer to as hippie soup, is among my all-time favorites. This alone may make a complete supper. It requires a lot of preparation, but it is definitely worthwhile!

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  1. 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
  2. ½ cup whole milk
  3. ¼ cup butter
  4. salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
  2. Drain potatoes, then return to the pot. Turn heat to high and allow potatoes to dry for about 30 seconds. Turn off heat.
  3. Mash potatoes with a potato masher twice around the pot, then add milk and butter. Continue to mash until smooth and fluffy. Whisk in salt and black pepper until evenly distributed, about 15 seconds.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 333 kcal
Carbohydrate 50 g
Cholesterol 34 mg
Dietary Fiber 6 g
Protein 7 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Sodium 30 mg
Sugars 4 g
Fat 13 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Andrew Cooper
A simple recipe that yields a fantastic result.
Joseph Jenkins
These potatoes are scrumptious. I left the skin on, added heavy cream and garlic.
Randy Henderson
It’s okay, much better if you sub cream cheese with garlic & chive for the majority, if not all of the milk
Nicole Kennedy
Also added some mashed garlic. Anyone wondering about potato size, watch the video. Shalom from Haifa!
Elizabeth Carpenter
Prefect method delivers perfect results, every time, every time! Add ingredients etc as you wish but the mashing process is perfect
Courtney Ramirez MD
No changes just too easy and well great
Jeanette Cole
These were absolutely perfect. I made as written but put the potatoes through a ricer instead of using a masher. I made these for our family holiday meal and everyone raved about how good they were. It was unanimous that these were the best mashed potatoes we’d had. I was crowned the Mash Queen and we had a wonderful day. Thanks, Chef John!
Heather Juarez
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
Erik Whitney
Thank you CHEF JOHN! I’ve been using your recipes a long time but this one is one of my favorites! It’s my go to mashed potato recipe because it makes perfect mashed potatoes EVERY time. I used to use Yukon gold potatoes but using russets creates a delightful flavor.
Tammy Brown
I usually HATE mashed potatoes! rare exceptions are ones from restaurants. I bought 3 russet potatoes that sadly had green skin, so I gave the recipe a try. Chef John was right on point! They are perfect, creamy, and not sloppy. loved this, easy and wonderful
Lindsey Walton
I’ve been making mashed potatoes wrong for all these years! These were wonderful! I only added more butter and used half & half. The big russets about 6″ long each. YUMMY!! I will make mashed potatoes with this recipe forever.
Kelly Owens
Very nice recipe but if you only have nonstick post I suggest cutting the potatoes into 4 pieces instead of 2
Cody Lewis
I learned a long time ago that you should always warm the milk (cream/sour cream/1/2 & 1/2) and butter before you add them to the mashed potatoes. Adding “cold” ingredients to the warm/hot potatoes apparently causes a negative reaction with the starch in the potatoes. I never questioned, nor attempted to prove this incorrect, because doing so simply makes for better results.
Kara Jimenez
This is exactly how I make mine and everyone LOVES them. My pappys recipe
David Lewis
For extra depth, I add celery stalks and onion chunks to the boiling water. Then add the potatoes. I remove the celery and onion and continue with Chef John’s recipe. If cooking for the family, I leave the skins on- they are used to it. Over the decades, if I leave the celery leaves in or a few onion bits, it’s all good and delicious.
William Jones
These are perfect! I make them all of the time now.
Adam Davenport
These came out amazing and just as described!!! Easy to prepare and delicious!
Lauren Williamson
We made no changes to it… might buy a ricer for the future. We had trouble using our regular potato masher. Tasted wonderful!
Shawna Lewis
Easy and tasty. I love chef John at foodwishhes.com. He has great recipes and a friendly personality.
Kathy Weiss
OMGOODNES, they were wonderfully delicious. Adding salt to the water, I believe is the key!! I added a garlic herb seasoning and a tablespoon of sour cream. I will ALWAYS use Russet Potatoes from now on.
Cesar Khan
These are the perfect mashed potatoes. I tripled the recipe, and the potatoes are still delicious. In fact, I’m tempted to eat the entire pot in one sitting.

 

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