Top-Rated Mashed Potatoes

Move over, plain sides. These exceptional mashed potato recipes take center stage.|Vicki A. Poellnitz

You may think that mashed potatoes are a pretty straightforward comfort food. When it comes down to it, however, the possibilities are endless. Skins on or off? Skim milk, half-and-half, or whipping cream? Butter or olive oil? Cream cheese or sour cream?

The following recipes offer lots of choices. Each received high ratings from our Test Kitchens. In addition, each was tested with a potato masher, an electric mixer, and a potato ricer. After making inquiries, we discovered more cooks own mashers or mixers than ricers. That's why we list a potato masher or electric mixer in the method. A ricer, which resembles a big garlic press, forces the cooked pulp through tiny holes. This causes the potatoes to resemble grains of rice.

We know that no matter how you mash them, you'll enjoy these potatoes as much as we do.

Mashed Potato Recipes:

• Simple Mashed Potatoes
• Southwest Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Three-Potato Mash

 

Potato Facts

• Sweet potatoes are dark-skinned with a deep orange flesh that's moist when cooked. These are often confused with yams, which are seldom grown in the United States.
• Russets, also known as baking potatoes, have rough brown skin and are oblong in shape. Choose these high-in-starch and low-in-moisture potatoes for light and fluffy results.
• Yukon golds possess golden skin and yellow, waxy flesh with a firm but creamy texture that has a buttery taste. Golds are a good balance starchwise; in texture, they fall between russets and round reds. This makes them a favorite among many chefs.
• Round reds, also called boiling potatoes, have red skin, a round shape, and waxy flesh with less starch than russets. Reds become very creamy when mashed. Try not to overwork these potatoes, or they can become sticky.

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