There is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of homemade mashed potatoes. Here’s why these red skin mashed potatoes keep making an appearance on our plate:
- Texture! There is a time and a place for silky smooth potatoes (not hating, we love them!), and then sometimes you want a good ol’ smashed potato. Leaving the skin on not only looks beautiful, but it adds nutrients and contributes to the overall texture of the dish.
- It’s quicker! No need to spend time peeling potatoes, just chop, boil, and mash — easy!
- Infused butter. If you’re not infusing your butter with garlic before adding it to mashed potatoes, you’re doing it alllll wrong. Trust us!
So if you’re on the hunt for a Thanksgiving mashed potato recipe, this is the side dish your turkey has been waiting for! For other great non-potato mash recipes, try our Parsnip Purée or my all-time favorite Butternut Squash Mash next!
Ingredients For Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
- Red potatoes, skin on – cut potatoes into large chunks about 2″ in size.
- Unsalted butter – melted and infused with fresh garlic!
- Garlic – fresh garlic has so much more flavor than garlic powder; use fresh if you can!
- Heavy cream – the creamy infused liquid that’s folded into the potatoes; gives them a super light, creamy texture.
- Kosher salt – to season the potatoes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chives, for garnish – can substitute with green onions!
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
Classic mashed potato ingredients, but we’re offering a few suggestions below to jazz ’em up, if you’re into that!
How To Make The Best Mashed Potatoes
- Cook potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot, then cover with 2 inches of cool water. Season with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, then set over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Cook for ~20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Infuse the butter. While the potatoes are cooking, place butter in a small saucepan with garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat until melted. Turn the heat to a simmer and allow butter to infuse with garlic until needed.
- Drain and mash. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then immediately return to the warm pot. Use a potato masher to mash until you reach your desired consistency. Lumps are fine!
- Flavor the potatoes. Discard the smashed potatoes from infused butter, then add butter to the potatoes along with heavy cream, remaining Kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until the milk mixture has absorbed and potatoes are thick and creamy.
- Serve immediately. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, then garnish with chives, a couple pinches of flaky sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Variations On Mashed Potatoes
Creamy mashed potatoes can do no wrong! And the possibilities for adapting them to (a) what you’ve got on hand and (b) specific ingredients that you like are endless.
We’ve got great recipes for garlic mashed potatoes as well as sour cream mashed potatoes that you should check out, but also consider adding the following to any of these recipes!
- Crispy bacon, chopped or crumbled
- Literally any herb (though we recommend you infuse these into oil, check out our tip below!)
- Cheese: goat cheese, mascarpone, cheddar, gouda, Monterrey Jack, Boursin — literally whatever you’ve got!
- Caramelized onions or crispy, fried shallots
- Horseradish sauce (omggg this would be so good with a killer grilled ribeye steak!)
- Dijon mustard
- Everything seasoning blend and cream cheese (yes, please!)
- Roasted garlic cloves
Regarding what type of potato is best for mashed potatoes: the difference between red skin potatoes, Russet potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes, etc. is the level of starchiness (higher starch levels indicate a fluffier interior when cooked, and less overall moisture) and waxiness (low in starch, high in sugar, hold their shape better), but…
We’re here to tell you that YES you can, in fact, use any variety of potato to make creamy mashed potatoes. These red skin mashed potatoes are some of our absolute favorites yet!
Tips To Improve Your Mashed Potatoes
- Rinse potatoes before cooking to help remove excess starch, which can lead to gumminess.
- Want a super luscious, creamy texture? Run the cooked potatoes through a ricer (or food mill) to get them silky smooth.
- Infuse flavor into melted butter! Instead of adding herbs or garlic directly into mashed potatoes, slowly infuse butter as it melts with any flavorings. This could be smashed garlic cloves, chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc), chili flakes, basically anything that won’t melt! This will ensure your potatoes get all the flavor without sacrificing on that wonderful texture by biting into a garlic clove or herb stem.
- Adding salt to the potatoes as they cook will help season them from the get go! Don’t skip this step!
- Return the cooked potatoes to the warm pot, then mash immediately. The steam from pan will help dry excess moisture on the potatoes.
Reheating Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are a fantastic side dish to make ahead. And the leftovers also reheat beautifully. Store extra mashed potatoes in airtight container in a fridge for up to 1 week. To reheat potatoes, simply place in a saucepan on the stovetop, set the heat to medium, then add a touch of heavy cream or milk (you can use chicken broth if you are calorie conscious, but it will not taste the same!), then stir gently as it reheats. With the additional liquid added, you might need to re-season with a pinch of salt.
You can add additional melted butter if you like, but generally a couple tablespoons of cream is all it takes to bring mashed potatoes back to life!
Dishes To Enjoy With Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes go with everything. These are some of our favorite entrées to enjoy alongside:
- Chicken milanese
- Flanken short ribs
- Chicken provencal
- Seared sea scallops
- Turkey meatloaf
- Butter poached cod
- Stuffed chicken marsala
And don’t forget to include these in your holiday menu lineup! Perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
If you make these Red Skin Mashed Potatoes, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more cozy side dishes, check out the following recipes:
- Mashed butternut squash
- Portobello stuffed mushrooms
- Creamy polenta with roasted mushrooms
- Warm lentil salad
- Duck fat potatoes
Red Skin Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 – 3 ½ lbs red potatoes unpeeled, cut into 2" pieces
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic smashed
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 ½ tsp Kosher salt divided
- ½ Freshly ground black pepper plus more for serving
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped chives for serving
- Flaky sea salt for serving
Instructions
- Cook potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot, then cover with 2 inches of cool water. Season with 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, then set over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. Cook for ~20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Infuse the butter. While the potatoes are cooking, place butter in a small saucepan with garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat until melted. Turn the heat to a simmer and allow butter to infuse with garlic until needed.
- Drain and mash. Drain the potatoes, then immediately return to the warm pot. Use a potato masher to mash until you reach your desired consistency. Lumps are fine!
- Flavor the potatoes. Discard the smashed potatoes from infused butter, then add butter to the potatoes along with heavy cream, remaining Kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir until all liquid has absorbed and potatoes are thick and creamy.
- Serve immediately. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, then garnish with chives, a couple pinches of flaky sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- To reheat potatoes, simply place in a saucepan on the stovetop, set the heat to medium, then add a touch of heavy cream or milk (you can use chicken stock if you are calorie conscious, but it will not taste the same!), then stir gently as it reheats.
Let us know your thoughts!