Mashed potatoes are a staple in British homes, but it seems many of us have been making a major error when boiling them – now, one chef has shared a simple hack for the creamiest mash
Get ready to up your mash game because a chef has just spilled the beans on how to achieve the dreamiest, creamiest mashed potatoes you’ll ever taste.
Mashed spuds are practically a British dinner table icon, and although they’re pretty straightforward to whip up, it turns out we might be missing a trick.
Enter Tyler Florence from the Food Network, who’s about to change everything we thought we knew about mash. Tyler revealed to Popsugar that the key lies in ditching water and going full tilt with cream and butter instead.
His golden rule is this: “So what I do with mashed potatoes – because you finish them with cream and butter anyway, right? I’ll take that same cream and butter and add that to the potatoes and cook the potatoes in cream and butter.”
But wait, there’s more. After the potatoes have soaked up all that rich goodness, Tyler takes it one step further: “Then I’ll put the potatoes back into the pot and take the potato-infused garlic cream and fold that back into the potatoes, and it’s the most incredible flavour profile.”
Fancy giving it a go? Here’s what Tyler suggests you need for stellar mash:
Ingredients
- Eight medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes
- Four crushed garlic gloves
- 450ml of milk
- 450ml of double cream
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- One bay leaf
- One tablespoon of butter
- One tablespoon of mustard
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Method
Quarter those potatoes and put them in a saucepan. Pour in the cream and milk, then chuck in your herbs.
Set the heat to medium and let it bubble away gently for about 15 to 30 minutes, until you can pierce the potatoes easily with a fork.
Mashed potatoes, a staple in many a British household, just got an upgrade with this chef-approved trick to make them smoother and creamier. The secret?
Keep a close watch on the heat when you’re prepping – don’t let that milk or cream scorch in the pan. After straining those spuds, don’t forget to save that precious creamy liquid, and oh, fish out the bay leaf while you’re at it.
Once you’ve got your potatoes back in the pot, it’s time for the magic touch. Mash them up to your heart’s content before blending in the reserved cream mix until you reach the pinnacle of potato perfection – smooth, indulgent goodness.
Next, stir in a tablespoon each of butter and olive oil, add a dollop of tangy mustard, and season with a sprinkle of salt and a crack of black pepper to taste.
But wait, there’s more – Tesco, our supermarket hero, has come through with some pearls of wisdom for keeping your potatoes fresh for a staggering six months without any sprouting nightmares.
So what’s Tesco’s hack for selecting top-notch tatties? Hunt down the ‘bulky’ ones sporting ‘thick skin’ and free from big puncture wounds, soft patches, mould or any shovel warfare scars.
And if you cart your potatoes home in a plastic bag, don’t suffocate them – set them free the moment you step into your kitchen, and whatever you do, avoid dunking them in water. “It’s important not to wash the potatoes, as this adds moisture that can encourage them to sprout. Instead, get rid of most of the dirt by brushing it off,” advises Tesco.
When it comes to preserving the life of your potatoes, there’s a simple yet effective method to keep them fresh for longer. To start, lay out your spuds on a sheet of newspaper, ensuring that they’re spaced apart to let air flow freely between them.
Then, find a dark hideaway to tuck them in, somewhere well-ventilated and cool, with the temperature staying below 10 degrees Celsius.
However, the work doesn’t stop there, reports the Mirror. “Check every few weeks to ensure that there aren’t any sprouted or spoiled spuds in the batch, as they can ruin all your hard work,” warned the supermarket.
This regular check-up is crucial to maintaining the quality of your stash.