Homestyle Mashed Potatoes - A Little Spoon

An up-close image of homestyle mashed potatoes with a melted pat of butter.

Get the Recipe: Homestyle Mashed Potatoes

This rich and fluffy homestyle mashed potatoes recipe has lots of descriptions and tips to help you make the perfect mash every time. (Seriously, if you want to, skip the recipe and just read the FAQs.)

5 from 1 rating

Yield4 cups (1.7L)

Prep30

Cook45

Total1 15

Ingredients

8 cups water
1½ + 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided as written
2½ lbs russet potatoes, (about 5-7 medium potatoes)
8 tablespoons (½ cup) European-style butter
¾ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons whole milk
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Equipment

1 large pot
measuring Cups
Measuring spoons
kitchen scale
1 peeler optional
1 chef knife
1 cutting board
1 colander
1 potato ricer
1 spatula

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Instructions

Begin by filling a medium pot with 8 cups of tap temperature water and 1½ teaspoons of kosher salt. Next, peel, rinse, and cut the potatoes into roughly the same-sized large pieces. They shouldn't be smaller than 2-inch (5cm) cubes. (see FAQs about how potato piece sizes affect texture/flavor).
Add them to the pot and bring the pot to a very gentle boil on your stovetop. You should see foam build up on the top of the water, but the water's surface shouldn't look like it's doing more than shifting a little. It’s okay to allow some bubbles while boiling but keep them gentle. You don’t want the potatoes moving around too much in the water or they will rub against each other and break apart before the centers can cook all the way through. Boil for between 30-45 minutes, until a fork slides into the center of the largest piece(s) without resistance (See FAQ for a more thorough description of doneness)
Once ready, drain the pot of potatoes over a colander. Give the potatoes 1-2 minutes to let off some steam. Then, using tongs to transfer the hot pieces of potato, push everything through a potato ricer back into the empty pot. Return the pot to the stovetop and turn the burner on warm/low. Let the potatoes sit for another 3-5 minutes to allow them to steam and dry out even more. To help release moisture, use a fork to gently fluff the potatoes every minute or so.
At this point, add just the butter. (Why just butter? See the FAQs!) Use a spatula to gently fold the potatoes around until the butter is completely melted. Then, add the rest of the salt, the pepper, and the sour cream. Fold again, until the sour cream is mostly incorporated and then mix in the milk, to thin everything out. Taste your homestyle mashed potatoes and add any additional salt, if needed.

Notes

Leftover potatoes can be stored for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
This recipe makes about 3.5-4 cups of mashed potatoes and will serve up to 8 people. Most people will eat about 1/2 cup (120 ml by volume) of mashed potatoes with a meal. So, consider this at your next holiday party or Sunday dinner.
Here's a quick breakdown on potato sizes from typical 5lb (2.3kg) grocery store bulk bags: small potato .22lbs (98 gm); medium potato .35 lb (165 gm); large potato .4 lb (175 gm). This does NOT count towards membership bulk warehouses, like Costco. Those potatoes are bigger than my face!
For a gravy recipe, check out my Dry-Brined, Reverse-Seared Prime Rib recipe for the Au Jus portion of the post. Just scroll past the Prime Rib for the Au Jus and gravy notes.

Nutrition