The best mash potato recipe
Eddies Best Mash Potato
There are a few tricks to making really good mash potato. The first is a type of potato, which might not be an obvious choice. I recommend Maris Piper as they make a really nice fluffy mash potato. The human says its because they “have a high level of dry matter” which gives them such fabulous fluffiness. I think its down to potato pixies and I am never wrong!
Now on this occasion I’m not going to go on about portion sizes. After all you humans know how much food it takes to fill you up and there is a rough guide at the end of this.
It might sound obvious but the first thing to do is to kill (sorry, peel as humans say) your potatoes and cut them into chunks no bigger than two or so inches across. The next thing to do is to rinse them off, in cold running water, and to leave them to stand for at least 15 minutes in cold water. The human says this removes the starch. I think they just enjoy a swim and a happy potatoes makes a fluffy potato.
The next thing to do is put the potatoes in a large pan of cold, salted water. Bring them to the boil. Then simmer for at least 20 to 25 minutes. You know when they are ready when they almost start falling apart. Pour the potatoes into a Colander, and leave them to steam until almost dry.
Use the saucepan you boiled the potatoes in to make the mash. Using the ricer, squeeze the potatoes in to the pan, dropping in chunks of butter as you go, along with a few shakes of the salt pot and some white pepper. Once everything is in, use a wooden spoon to stir and blend the mash. Taste, and if needed add some more salt and pepper. A little trick that you may wish to try is to add some paprika to the mash at this stage. It lifts it but do not use too much.
Now, this can use up quite a bit of butter. How much is down to personal choice – some people like a more fluffy mash, some a really buttery mash. The trick is getting the consistency and avoiding lumps, hence the potato ricer!
You will need
Maris Piper potatoes – two large or three medium spuds are a very generous serving per person
Butter – to taste but the more the better
Salt (sea salt if possible) to taste
White pepper to taste
Paprika – maybe!
A potato ricer (KEY!)