How to make delicious mashed potatoes: a few secrets of success. How to make delicious mashed potatoes: rules, secrets, unusual ingredients

Technology for cooking potatoes for mashed potatoes

Except the right choice potato varieties, it is necessary to follow the cooking technology:

• Wash the potatoes, peel them and cut them into four pieces. Do not keep chopped vegetables in cold water, and immediately put it in boiling water to cook. When kept in cold water for a long time, the starch is washed out.
• In order for the potatoes to cook evenly, they should be cooked over low heat with the lid closed. Equally important is the amount of water for cooking. The water should only slightly cover the cut potatoes.
• The cooking time is within 15-20 minutes; you should not overcook the vegetable, as it will disintegrate and the puree will no longer be as tasty, and when whipped, lumps may form in it. To check if the potatoes are done, pierce them with a fork or toothpick - they should easily pierce the piece.
• As soon as the potatoes are ready, the water must be drained. To mash it, use a masher, preferably a wooden one, a blender or a mixer. Experienced chefs advise to warm up boiled potatoes It is with a masher that the puree turns out to be unusually soft and airy.

How to make mashed potatoes with milk

To prepare the puree you will need milk and butter; some recipes include egg or one egg yolk. From quality and quantity butter The tenderness and taste of the puree depends. Do not use butter substitutes for whipping potatoes: spread, margarine; using them will only worsen the taste of the dish and it will not be as healthy as with butter.

Calculate the amount of butter at approximately 50-100 grams per 0.5 kg of potatoes. Except oil, tender creamy taste milk adds flavor to mashed potatoes. Its quantity should be calculated “by eye”, depending on the consistency of the puree you want to get. The milk should be added hot so that when serving the dish is warm and not cold. There is an opinion that the color of the puree is affected by the temperature of the milk. This is wrong.

Its color is influenced by the type of potato, which can give the dish a light, creamy or yellowish tint. Beat the potatoes with a wooden masher until the potato-creamy mass becomes creamy and homogeneous and the lumps disappear. The fluffiness and airiness of the dish depends on the intensity and vigor of the beating. To make the work easier, you can use kitchen aids: a mixer or blender.

The most delicious mashed potato recipes

Recipe No. 1. Classic recipe for mashed potatoes with milk

Ingredients for puree (for 4 servings):

• potatoes - 1 kg;
• milk – approximately 200 ml;
• butter -50-100 grams;
• salt.

For classic mashed potatoes, boil the cut potatoes and drain. Crush it thoroughly and add soft butter and hot milk, continuing to intensively whisk the mass. When it becomes airy and soft, add salt to the dish and it is ready to serve.

Recipe No. 2. “Paprika” puree with bell pepper

Bell peppers and spices give the dish an unusual taste, aroma and color. "Paprichnaya" Mashed potatoes will decorate the holiday table.

Ingredients:

• potatoes – 4-5 pcs;
• red bell pepper - 1 piece;
• butter4
• spices: ketchup with bell pepper– 100 ml, thyme, basil, salt.

How to cook:

• Boil the peeled, quartered potatoes.
• While it is cooking, prepare the pepper: wash it, peel it from seeds and cut it into pieces. Add the pepper pieces to the boiling potatoes 10 minutes after they boil and continue cooking.
• After the vegetables are cooked, drain the water from the pan. The peculiarity of the recipe is that it does not use milk, but the water in which the vegetables were boiled, so drain the water into a separate container.
• Mash the vegetables with a masher, adding water after cooking and ketchup, turning them into a puree. The spicier the ketchup, the more piquant the dish will taste.
• Add a piece of butter, spices: thyme, basil to the mixture and stir. Serve aromatic dish hot.

Recipe No. 3. Mashed potatoes with cream cheese and tomatoes

This gourmet dish which is often served at Italian restaurants, you can cook at home for your family. The taste of this puree is unforgettable and very unusual, not at all like the classic one.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes – 5-6 pcs;
• Tomatoes - 2 medium size;
• Creamy soft cheese– 100 gr;
• Butter, sunflower oil;
• Seasonings: 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp sesame seeds, salt

How to cook:

1. Boil the potatoes, cut into 4 parts, in water, after boiling the water, add salt.
2. Wash the tomatoes, cut into cubes (finely), and also chop the garlic. In a hot frying pan greased with butter, quickly fry the garlic and add pieces of tomatoes to it. Fry the vegetables for a few minutes, sprinkle with sesame seeds at the end.
3. Let's start cooking unusual puree. Mash the potatoes, adding some of the liquid remaining after boiling the potatoes, cheese and butter.
4. Place fried vegetables from the pan into potato mass, stir and serve hot.

Recipe No. 4. French mashed potatoes with mustard

Spicy, refined taste This puree is given by French Dijon mustard with grains, and sour cream, which can also be replaced heavy cream, will make the dish juicy.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes – 5-6 pieces;
• Sour cream or cream (fat) - 100 ml;
• Pine nuts;
• Dijon mustard – 3 tbsp, seasonings, salt.\

How to cook:

1. Cook the potatoes until tender, after boiling, do not forget to add salt.
2. Fry in a hot dry frying pan pine nuts(4-5 minutes) and grind them.
3. Mash the boiled potatoes with a masher, gradually pouring in the liquid remaining during cooking. Add sour cream or heated cream, nuts and mustard to the mixture. Mix everything until smooth and fluffy and serve.

Recipe No. 5. Mashed potatoes with cheese

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 0.5 kg;
• Butter - 50-100 grams;
• Hard cheese -200 grams;
• Garlic – 2 cloves, salt, pepper.

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes in boiling water, drain the water. Mash it to a puree-like consistency.
2. Peel the garlic and fry in butter for about 2 minutes.
3. Cheese durum varieties grate.
4. Add garlic, cheese, butter, salt and pepper to the crushed potatoes. Serve cream cheese puree hot.

Recipe No. 6. Mashed potatoes “Tenderness”

Mashed potatoes prepared according to this recipe turn out to be unusually tender and very tasty. Your family will rightfully appreciate the recipe and will beg you to cook this dish again!

Ingredients:

• Potatoes-12 pcs;
• Cream milk – 0.5 cups;
• Butter – 2 tbsp;
• salt.

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes, drain the water. Cover the pan with the potatoes with a towel and place it over low heat. Dry the boiled potatoes a little so that the moisture evaporates from them. This is done so that the dry potatoes can absorb as much butter and cream as possible.
2. Mash the potatoes thoroughly so that there are no lumps.
3. Add butter to the crushed potatoes (melt it first using the microwave).
4. Add hot cream or milk to the mixture, continuing to beat until creamy.
5. Add salt and spices. Serve to the table.

Recipe No. 7. Mashed Potatoes with Pumpkin and Sage

How to cook tasty, bright and very aromatic puree? The bright yellow pumpkin included in this super recipe gives the dish a sunny color, and the sage adds flavor to the dish.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes – 0.5 kg;
• Pumpkin – 0.4 kg;
• Parmesan – 50 grams;
• Drain oil – 50 grams;
• Milk-200 ml;
• Sage – 4 sprigs, nutmeg, salt

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes, drain the water.
2. In a separate bowl, boil the chopped large pieces pumpkin, add a sprig of sage for flavor and cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Parmesan should be grated on a coarse grater.
4. In a frying pan, lightly sauté the sage sprigs in butter to make sage butter.
5. Boiled vegetables: Mash potatoes and pumpkin to a puree consistency, gradually adding hot milk, Parmesan, sage oil and seasoning with nutmeg. Add salt to taste.

How to make mashed potatoes tasty and tender - secrets and subtleties of cooking:

• One important point preparing delicious and healthy puree is to thoroughly clean potato tubers from eyes, dark spots, and unripe places. They should not be included in the dish.
• The best cut for boiling potatoes is to cut the tuber into 4 parts; a finely chopped vegetable loses many useful substances when cooked.
• To give the dish airiness and fluffiness, beat it several times. The first is with a masher, the second is with a mixer.
• In addition to milk and the liquid in which the potatoes were cooked, you can use hot meat broth.
• Adding an egg will add nutrition to the mashed potatoes and make them more filling.
• Added to dishes as spices and seasonings green onions, thyme, basil, nutmeg, saffron.

What could be simpler than mashed potatoes? It would seem that this is one of the most banal dishes of our traditional cuisine and everyone can do it (as well as no less traditional Olivier). And this is true - with one amendment. Not everyone knows how to make it tasty. What do you need to pay attention to to ensure your mashed potatoes really succeed?

1. Choose yellowish-colored potatoes for making mashed potatoes: they boil better.

2. To add flavor to the potatoes, you can add a clove of garlic, a whole onion, or a small whole carrot to the pan while cooking.

3. Don't skimp on whipping the puree. It is not enough to just crush the potatoes, you need to actually beat them - then there will be no lumps in them and that same creaminess will appear.

4. The taste of the puree will be more delicate if you add a couple of tablespoons of mayonnaise, sour cream, unsweetened yogurt or processed cheese.

5. The puree will be more flexible if you add it to crushed potatoes. a raw egg and beat well.

6. First of all, potatoes need to be cooked. Sometimes problems in the form of small lumps are precisely the result of undercooked potatoes. Checking for doneness is very simple - if a knife or fork pierces the potato without any resistance, then it is, without a doubt, already cooked. To speed up the cooking of mashed potatoes, you can cut them into smaller pieces rather than boil them whole.

7. Don't skimp on butter. Its presence makes the puree soft, helps achieve a creamy consistency and gives light creamy taste. Main sign"Stolovsky" mashed potatoes - watery, which indicates the absence of fat in it. And butter (and normal butter, with a fat content of about 80%, and not margarine, coquettishly called low-fat butter) is the best thing you can add to puree. Of course, there are situations when it is simply not at hand or it is absolutely forbidden to use it. Then you can be forced to replace the cream with vegetable, be sure to refined oil, alone or in combination with finely chopped and fried until golden color onions. This will make the mashed potatoes significantly more edible. But let's get back to the butter. For 0.5 kg of potatoes you will need 50-100 grams.

8. Presence of liquid. You have two options - either do not completely drain the water in which the potatoes were boiled, or add milk. Liquid is again required to add creaminess - otherwise the potatoes will fall apart into crumbs. Adding milk is not an acquired taste. In my opinion, it adds a certain aftertaste that slightly spoils the impression of the puree, and in addition, exposes the dish to the danger of rapid souring.

9. Do not add cold milk - the puree will turn gray.

10. When the potatoes are cooked, drain the water and return the pan (with the potatoes, but without water) to the heat. Keep on low heat under the lid for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. This way, the absorbed water will evaporate from the potatoes and they will become more crumbly.

11. Puree goes well with the following additives and spices: white pepper, baked garlic, fried onion, fried mushrooms, chives, parsley, dill, mustard, grated Parmesan, thyme, rosemary.

12. If you need to reduce calories, in addition to replacing milk with potato broth, you can replace half the potatoes with another well-cooked vegetable with a mild taste: turnips, kohlrabi, parsnips, Jerusalem artichoke.

And finally,"Bride's Pie" - simple but very tasty!

The resulting pie is golden brown, tender, satisfying and very tasty with a delicate filling of mashed potatoes, chicken and eggs... Let's cook...

Ingredients for the dough:

• eggs - 3 pcs
• sour cream (the fat content of sour cream is not important) - 250 ml (I took 50g)
• mayonnaise - 250 ml (I took 200g)
• flour - 250 ml
• baking powder for dough - 1 tbsp. spoon

Filling ingredients:

• mashed potatoes - 200 g
• boiled chicken fillet - 200 g
• boiled eggs - 3 pcs

Preparation of the dough:
Break 3 eggs into a bowl.

add sour cream and mayonnaise.

Mix everything thoroughly and add baking powder.

Add flour in small portions, mixing thoroughly until smooth.

The dough should not be thick, the consistency of sour cream.

Preparing the filling:

Cut the boiled eggs into small cubes.

We also chop the chicken fillet finely.

Mix mashed potatoes, eggs and meat.

The filling can be completely different to suit your taste. This pie is just as tasty with mushrooms, cabbage, fish and any other filling.

If your pan is not detachable, then it is better to lay parchment or baking foil on the bottom. Grease the mold with vegetable oil.

Pour half of the dough into the mold.

Spread the filling evenly on top of the dough.

Pour the rest of the dough into the mold over the filling.

The cake is baked at a temperature of 180 degrees, 20 - 30 minutes. Check readiness with a toothpick; if the cake is ready, the toothpick will be completely dry.

The baked pie will have a very beautiful golden brown crust. The pie is delicious both hot and cold.

And one more recipe, although this is not puree, but also delicious Garlic potatoes....

We take 5 potatoes. Wash thoroughly.
Place it in a saucepan. Then add water so that the potatoes are slightly covered. Cook until done. Drain the water.

Let's do garlic oil:

• 100 g soft butter
• 5 tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 1 tbsp. sour cream
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Mix everything and season ground pepper and if necessary, add salt.
Cut the potatoes lengthwise and place on a greased baking sheet. Spread garlic butter on each potato and place in an oven preheated to 250 g.
Cooking time 10-15 minutes. Bon appetit!

Crushed potatoes are also called mashed potatoes. The side dish is known among our compatriots due to its light texture and taste qualities. Mashed potatoes go well with mushrooms, minced meat, vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish. This makes him loved even more. Let's look at the basic recipes and subtleties of cooking.

Choosing potatoes for mashed potatoes

As you can understand from the above, the masher is prepared on the basis of potatoes. There are also requirements for the main ingredient of the dish. Potato tubers must accumulate a lot of starch. This puree will turn out tender and airy.

To understand whether there is enough starch, you need to wash the tuber and cut it. After this, try squeezing the two halves and rubbing them together. If the parts stick together, there is enough starch, the masher can be cooked.

Mashed potato preparation technology

After selecting suitable tubers, you need to study the intricacies heat treatment potatoes.

1. The potatoes are peeled, peeled, and cut into 4 equal sections. Many people make the mistake of leaving potatoes in cold water after peeling. All starch is washed out as a result of such actions. It is necessary to immediately place the tubers in boiling water and cook.
2. To ensure uniform boiling of potatoes, you need to set the appropriate heat. You should not simmer the tubers at maximum power, set it to minimum or average. Another important aspect is the amount of water; the liquid should lightly cover the vegetables.
3. The duration of cooking potato tubers for mashed potatoes varies from a third to a quarter of an hour. There is no need to overcook because the potatoes will crumble. During the beating process you will only get lumps.
4. To determine whether the tubers are cooked or not, poke them with a knife or fork. The potatoes should fall off the device, and not hang on it. After cooking, drain the water and start chopping.
5. Crushed potatoes are prepared using available tools. You can put the boiled tubers through a food processor, put them in a blender, or beat them with a pestle. For softness, milk is added at the same time by eye.

Mashed potatoes according to the classic recipe

• potatoes - 0.9-1 kg.
• butter - 60 gr.
• full fat milk - 300 ml.
• salt - to your taste

1. First, prepare the tubers for further manipulation. Rinse them thoroughly under the tap and remove dirt with a sponge. Remove the skins and cut the potatoes into 2-4 pieces to simplify and evenly cook.
2. Place the prepared vegetable in a container and fill it with boiling water. The liquid should rise above the cut potatoes by 1-2 cm, no more. Add water during the evaporation process.
3. Record the time after the start of seething. In 15-20 minutes the potatoes will be ready, you can determine this with a knife or fork. Drain the water. Heat the milk until it is the same temperature as the potatoes.
4. Add butter to the potatoes and add a little milk. Arm yourself with a masher and start pounding the tubers. You can simplify the process by using an immersion blender. At this stage it is necessary to salt the puree.

Puree with tomatoes and sesame seeds

• tomato - 2 pcs.
• potatoes - 7 tubers
• butter - 50 gr.
• garlic - 2 cloves
• white sesame - 10 gr.
• soft cream cheese- 0.1 kg.

1. Peel, cut and boil the potatoes. Wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, and chop them into cubes. Remove the peel from the garlic, crush it with a press or chop it.
2. Heat a frying pan, add butter, and fry the garlic and tomatoes. Fry them on medium power for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. After this time, add sesame seeds.
3. Mash the potatoes with a pestle and the remaining broth. Add grated cheese and a little butter, add salt. Add tomatoes and garlic, stir, serve.

• butter - 50-60 gr.
• salt - to your taste
• potatoes - 1.2 kg.

1. Prepare the potatoes by washing and peeling them. Cut into 2-4 sections and place in a cooking pot. Pour boiling water over it; it should cover the tubers by a couple of centimeters.
2. After boiling, cook the potatoes for a third of an hour. When it slides off the knife easily, pour off almost all the liquid, reserving a little broth for thinning.
3. Add butter to the potatoes, add salt, and gradually pour in the broth. Mash the tubers with a pestle or immersion blender and serve with any other foods.

Puree with minced meat

• butter - 110 gr.
• minced meat - 470 gr.
• cheese - 140 gr.
• mashed potatoes - 500 gr.
• cream - 450 ml.

1. Warm up the potato mixture in a convenient way and beat again. Prepare a baking sheet by generously greasing it with oil. Place the puree on a tray. At the same time, fry the minced meat in a frying pan, add onions to enhance the taste.
2. Place the meat mixture on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle the food with grated cheese. The dish will turn out with unique taste And appetizing crust. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, place a baking sheet in it.
3. Set the timer on the oven and wait half an hour. After the allotted time, take out the tray with the finished dish. Wait for it to cool down a bit. Divide the pie into portioned pieces, serve with sour cream sauce.

Puree with hard cheese

• hard cheese - 220 gr.
• salt - to taste
• butter - 70 gr.
• allspice - in fact
• potatoes - 500 gr.
• garlic - 10 cloves

1. Place a pan of water on the stove and turn on the gas to maximum power. At the same time, wash and peel the potatoes. To make the boiling process faster, chop the root vegetable into pieces. Place the vegetable in boiling water.
2. After cooking, mash the potatoes until smooth. classic recipe. Peel the garlic and fry in a hot frying pan with butter. At the same time, grate the cheese.
3. IN ready-made puree Stir in cheese, spices to taste and butter, garlic is not needed, get rid of it. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and serve. Potato dish You can decorate with sprigs of fresh herbs.

Garlic puree

• milk - 180 ml.
• Dutch cheese - 110 gr.
• milk - 210 ml.
• garlic - 3 cloves
• butter - 60 gr.
• potatoes - 400 gr.

1. Wash and peel the potatoes, chop them into several pieces, and cook. To speed up cooking, cover the pan with a lid and set the stove to maximum power.
2. Once the potatoes are boiled, drain the water and stir in the milk. Turn the products into a homogeneous paste. Add salt as needed, keep in mind that the cheese gives its own taste.
3. Peel the garlic and turn it into a paste using available utensils. Combine the raw materials with soft butter. Grate the cheese and mix all the ingredients. Serve the puree to the table.

• pumpkin pulp - 400 gr.
• Parmesan cheese - 45 gr.
• potatoes - 480 gr.
• butter - 60 gr.
• sage - 3 sprigs
• salt - in fact
• milk - 190 ml.
• ground nutmeg - to taste

1. Boil the potatoes as usual, turn them into homogeneous mass in the classic way. Use a separate container, fill it with water, add a sprig of sage and add pumpkin pieces. Boil the vegetable until tender.
2. The procedure may take from 10 to 15 minutes. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater. After this, heat a frying pan with butter. Simmer the product with sage. The output should be flavorful sauce. Warm up the milk.
3. Mix mashed potatoes and boiled pumpkin. Gradually add milk. As soon as the mixture reaches a homogeneous consistency, add the missing ingredients. Sprinkle with nutmeg and salt to taste.

Mushroom puree

• sour cream - 60 gr.
• garlic - 4 cloves
• mashed potatoes - 900 gr.
• mushrooms - 250 gr.
• butter - 65 gr.

1. Warm the puree and combine with milk, stir thoroughly until smooth. You can add spices and aromatic seasonings taste. Set aside finished product to the side.
2. Turn the garlic into a paste using special device. Fry ready-made composition in butter. Next, add the prepared mushrooms. Stir the product until a golden crust forms.
3. Pack the puree into portioned plates and place a side dish in the form of fried mushrooms on top or next to it. The dish goes well with various sauces.

Puree with mustard

• cream - 100 ml.
• potatoes - 300 gr.
• pine nuts - in fact
• Dijon mustard - 90 gr.
• seasonings - to taste

1. Prepare the potatoes the classic way and mash them. Add cream and seasonings to taste. Next, fry in a dry frying pan. Pine nuts. The procedure will take no more than 5 minutes.
2. Enter in ready mass nuts and mustard. Stir the ingredients until smooth. Serve the puree with meat or fish delicacies.

1. In order for the mashed potatoes to be truly tasty and free from defects, it is important to thoroughly peel the potatoes. There should be no damage or dark eyes on the tubers. It is best to use a young root vegetable for the dish.
2. To facilitate the process and cooking time, it is best to divide the potatoes into 4 parts before cooking. In addition, in this form the root crop retains sufficient quantity useful substances.
3. If you like fluffy and airy mashed potatoes, then for the first time you should mash the mass with a masher. The second time it is recommended to use a mixer.

It's easy to make mashed potatoes at home, just follow the instructions. Almost any food goes well with root vegetables. Don't be afraid to experiment and add something new to the recipe.

Video: how to make delicious mashed potatoes

Everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes. But those who have tried the mashed potatoes with milk that I prepare always ask for the recipe. It would seem little secret, and how delicious it turns out!

If you are preparing mashed potatoes for guests, make extra immediately. They will eat it and ask for more. But if it’s for yourself, then, of course, it’s better that it’s just cooked. Heated puree is not the same at all. In the photo with mashed meatballs with pork rice. Because My daughter started cooking, I couldn’t help but publish the recipe for mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg potatoes
• 1.5 cups milk
• 50 grams of oil (to taste, less or more can be used)
• bay leaf or nutmeg, black pepper

Preparation:

1. Let's start by peeling, washing and cutting the potatoes into quarters.

   

2. At this time, put a pan of water. Bring to a boil. Dip the potatoes into water.

   

3. I draw your attention to the fact that we put the potatoes in boiling water, not cold. This way we will save more vitamins. For this purpose there should not be a lot of water. It only covers the puree by a centimeter. Bored lonely "potatoes" in large quantities boiling water is more like judgment potato soup. Bring the water and potatoes to a boil, reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Daughter, just for you - just cover the pan with a lid, leaving a crack for steam to escape, otherwise foam and splashes will appear around the pan. Cook the potatoes like this for about 10 minutes. And only now add salt and add bay leaf. To taste, you can add a pinch instead of bay leaf nutmeg or black pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Test the potatoes with a fork - if they pierce easily, drain the water. Bay leaf throw it away.

   

4. If you don’t have milk, pour the water in which the potatoes were boiled into a separate bowl and use instead of milk. If you have milk, heat one and a half glasses, you don’t need to bring it directly to a boil - about the same as if you wanted to drink a glass hot milk.
5. Take a masher and mash the potatoes.

   

6. Only when you have mashed the potatoes well, pour in half the prepared milk and add butter. Stir until the butter has completely melted.

   

7. The puree should be quite soft, but not liquid.
8. Now we take the mixer - it’s our secret. It will make the puree fluffy. In the pan, the puree should not reach the top of the sides by 10-15 centimeters, otherwise you will have to clean the kitchen. If in doubt, simply transfer the puree to a larger saucepan. Beat the puree with a mixer at maximum speed. I show you which attachments are best for whipping. They chop the potatoes and make the mashed potatoes fluffy and airy.

   

9. Gradually pour in the remaining warm milk, just enough to make airy mashed potatoes, and not a liquid kind potato jelly. But remember that when the puree cools, it becomes thicker.

   

10. That's it, mashed potatoes with milk are ready, put it on plates.

    

11. Now the main thing is to remember everyone to whom I promised this simple mashed potato recipe - my godfather, my daughter, and most importantly, don’t forget to show it to my husband, he won’t understand why his mashed potatoes don’t turn out so tasty :)

Bon appetit!

P.S.: very delicious options additives in puree:

• onions fried in butter
• carrot juice - the puree will become more yellow in color
• instead of milk - sour cream with herbs and garlic

Secrets of mashed potatoes

What could be easier than making mashed potatoes? But for some reason, not every housewife finds it tasty. How to make mashed potatoes correctly?

Everyone knows that mashed potatoes are crushed boiled potatoes with butter and milk. It is usually used as a side dish, sometimes as a main dish for a child.
It’s surprising, but for some housewives such a simple dish turns out to look like a gray paste or a lumpy mass that gets stuck in the throat.

How to make mashed potatoes

The recipe for mashed potatoes is surprisingly simple:

Peel and boil the potatoes, adding salt at the end of cooking;
Drain the water and mash the potatoes with a potato masher;
Add butter and milk;
Grind the puree well again.

Why do you sometimes have to choke on tasteless mashed potatoes? What are housewives doing wrong?

Secrets of delicious mashed potatoes

1. The potatoes must be cooked completely. Check with a fork; it should pierce the tubers freely.

2. There should be a lot of butter, not a small piece for a huge pan.
Take at least 80-100 grams per half kilo of potatoes.
It is the butter that makes the puree tender and gives it a pleasant creamy taste.
All kinds of butter substitutes, spreads and margarines are not products that can be considered healthy.
And they won't make mashed potatoes taste good.

3. There should also be a lot of liquid in the puree. Usually this is warm milk.

You can often find a statement on culinary websites: do not add cold milk to hot mashed potatoes - the mashed potatoes will turn gray. This is not always true, but rather not true at all.
The color of the puree depends on the type of potato, and not on the temperature of the poured milk.
There are varieties whose boiled tubers turn blue when cooled and retain this color even if the cooled potatoes are heated.
If the puree is of this type and it has cooled down from adding cold milk, there’s nothing you can do about it. In all other cases, the temperature of the milk does not matter much if the mashed potatoes are served immediately.
From yellow tubers the puree turns out to be yellow, from white tubers - yellowish-cream.

4. It is not enough to just crush boiled potatoes; they need to be turned into a homogeneous mass without lumps. In fact, you need to beat the puree, then it will become like a cream.

Quite often it is recommended to beat the puree with a mixer. However, it works great with an ordinary masher with holes.
At first, the process is quite difficult: you need to crush all the potatoes, adding milk and butter, making sure that the hot liquid does not splash on your hands.

As the puree turns into a homogeneous mass, the process becomes easier - you don’t need to stop there, but continue to vigorously beat further.
Mashed potatoes become fluffier and creamier before our eyes.
If at the beginning of the process it seemed watery, like a messy porridge, then by the end it will become thicker.

What can you add to mashed potatoes?

To give special taste, sour cream, cream, and processed cheese are added to mashed potatoes.
Sometimes a fresh raw egg is beaten in.

Some people like mashed potatoes with a clove of garlic or grated Parmesan, while others like them well-fried vegetable oil onions or cracklings.

Mashed potatoes are dietary dish for children and the sick, and popular side dish for meat and fish. In addition to potatoes, butter and milk, you can add a variety of ingredients to it.

How to choose potatoes for mashed potatoes

Classic mashed potatoes are boiled and whipped potatoes with hot milk and butter.

To make mashed potatoes tasty, you need to follow several rules. The potatoes should be of those varieties that loosen and crumble when cooked - “starchy”. If the tuber remains unchanged in appearance, although it is cooked, then such potatoes are suitable for frying, but soft puree it won't work out.

How to prepare potatoes for mashed potatoes

First, the potatoes should be thoroughly peeled. This applies not only to the peel, but also to the “eyes”.
The pulp around them does not cook well, so you should not spoil your lunch or dinner, it is better to remove these places immediately.
It is not advisable to boil whole potatoes for mashing.
It's worth cutting.
In this case, the pieces should be approximately the same shape and size.
This will allow them to cook at the same time.
There is also no need to cut finely, otherwise you risk getting useless puree.
All its nutritional and useful material will remain in the broth.

The milk should be hot.

Puree likes to be whipped for a long time.
When it has a uniform, creamy consistency, it means it is ready to serve.
And if it is still far from homogeneity and creaminess, we continue using a masher or blender. The puree should only be served hot.
When heated, it loses its wonderful taste.

The Best Mashed Potato Recipes

1. Boil potatoes in water for 10 minutes, then drain the water, add boiling milk and bring until cooked. Mash into a puree.

2.Mash the potatoes into a puree. Mix sour cream with grated cheese and finely chopped garlic, season the potatoes with this mixture. The puree needs to be kept in the oven for a little while so that the sour cream warms up.

3. Mash the potatoes and pour boiling water over them chicken broth(similar to the recipe for puree with milk), beat well.

4. Season the puree with garlic, crushed with herbs, dill seeds, diluted with melted butter.

5.Beat 1-2 egg yolks with a few spoons of sour cream, season the puree with this mixture. If you are not sure about the quality of the eggs, then do not use this version of the dish. Otherwise, you risk contracting unpleasant and even dangerous diseases.

6.Grinds (frying) with a small amount add the melted fat to the mashed potatoes and beat.

7. Grate hard cheese onto fine grater. Dilute the puree slightly with boiling milk, add cheese and mix thoroughly. The volume of cheese should be about a quarter of the volume of puree.

8.Mash the potatoes, add a piece of butter, mix with finely chopped herbs (dill, green onions, parsley) and garlic.

9. Add a handful of crushed walnuts to mashed potatoes diluted with milk.