Ingredients
That's the whole list. Five ingredients. Two of them are butter and cream. This is not a health food. This is Thanksgiving.
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes. All of them. Every single one. This is the tedious part. Get comfortable. Put on a podcast. Accept your fate. There are no shortcuts here—the skin doesn't belong in fancy mashed potatoes.
- Cut them into small cubes. About 1-inch pieces. Smaller pieces cook faster and more evenly. Don't leave them in huge chunks unless you want to be boiling potatoes until next Thanksgiving.
- Boil the potatoes. Put them in a large pot, cover with cold water by about an inch, add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes, until they're fork-tender—a fork should slide in and out with no resistance. Drain them well. Wet potatoes make gluey mashed potatoes.
- While the potatoes cook, start the butter. In a separate large pot (yes, you need two pots, I warned you this was a pain), add both sticks of butter, a good pinch of salt, and some pepper. Heat over medium-low until the butter is completely melted, then turn the heat to the lowest setting. You're just keeping it warm, not cooking it. The butter should be melted and waiting when your potatoes are ready.
- Rice the potatoes into the butter. This is where the magic happens. Using a potato ricer, process the cooked potatoes directly into the pot with the melted butter. The ricer is non-negotiable—it's what gives you that silky, smooth texture with zero lumps. A masher will give you chunky potatoes. A mixer will make them gluey. The ricer is the way. Work in batches, pressing each load of potatoes through directly into the butter.
- Add the heavy cream. Pour in the cream. Stir everything together gently with a wooden spoon or spatula until it's all combined. Don't overmix—you're not trying to aerate it, just combine it.
- Taste and adjust. Add more salt if needed. More pepper if you want. These should taste rich, buttery, and well-seasoned. If they taste bland, they need more salt. Don't be shy.
- Serve immediately. Or keep warm on the lowest heat setting, covered, until the rest of Thanksgiving dinner gets its act together. Give them a stir before serving. Try not to eat the whole pot before the turkey is carved.
Why This Is Worth the Effort
- The ricer: Seriously, if you don't have one, buy one. They're like $15 and they're the difference between good mashed potatoes and transcendent mashed potatoes. The ricer breaks down the potato into tiny, uniform pieces without activating the starch that makes things gluey. It's not optional for this recipe.
- The two-pot method: Ricing directly into warm butter means the potatoes absorb the butter immediately while they're still hot. This is restaurant technique. It's annoying. It works.
- The butter ratio: Yes, it's a lot. No, I'm not apologizing. If you want healthy potatoes, make a baked potato and put some Greek yogurt on it. These are Thanksgiving potatoes. They're supposed to be ridiculous.
- Make ahead? You can make these a few hours ahead and keep them in a slow cooker on warm, or reheat gently on the stove with a splash more cream. They won't be quite as perfect as fresh, but they'll still be better than everyone else's mashed potatoes.