Mom’s Fabulous Mashed Potatoes

…with a twist

Is there anyone who doesn’t love mashed potatoes?

This dish is often served only at holiday times on many American tables. I always thought that was odd growing up, because we never had them for holidays in my family. Although we loved them, there was nothing particularly special about them in our minds. They were easy to make and, at our house, they showed up at least once a week.

My mother adored them, so she made them often, and hers were the best.

Now, I make the best mashed potatoes because I make them exactly the way she did.

Her secret—I guess now it’s no longer a secret—was the addition of an onion. She added a whole onion, cut up, in with the potatoes while they were boiling. The onion got so soft that, when the potatoes were mashed, the onion melted into the potatoes and were indiscernible. You wouldn’t know what it was that made them so good if you weren’t privy to the secret; you just knew they were fabulous.

People get fancy and add things like sour cream or cream cheese to mashed potatoes. These are lovely additions but we never had them that way. Mom kept it simple. But the one thing Mom NEVER did was make instant mashed potatoes from a box. It was unthinkable!

It's hard to write a recipe for these mashed potatoes. It’s one of those things that was done by feel—how much butter, how much milk… so be aware that the amounts I’m giving you are a guideline. Butter makes them rich. Can there be too much butter? That’s for you to decide. Milk makes them creamy. You want to use enough to get that silky texture without making them too loose or soupy. I’ll leave this in your very competent hands.

Here's a tip—The way you cut the potatoes is important. I have no idea of why this makes a difference, but it really does affect the flavor and texture. Once the potatoes are peeled, cut them in half lengthwise. Do you see a seam running down the center of the cut side? Cut them again, along the seam. At that point, if they’re too big to fit into your pot you can cut them horizontally in half, one time. Only do that if you have to. And, salt the water before cooking, rather than just salting the potatoes at the end. That’s also important. Add a gentle amount—you can always add more after they’re mashed, but definitely salt the water.

You will need:

• A pot

• A potato masher. This one is genius! It folds flat to fit tidily in a drawer. And it works superbly well.

• Potatoes—Russets or Yukon Golds are your best choices. One medium potato per person, plus one for the pot.

• One medium onion, cut into chunks

• Butter

• milk

• salt

Here’s a guideline:

Ingredients:

• For 3 lbs potatoes, use approximately

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup, 4 ounces)

• 1 cup of whole milk.

Adjust the amounts as needed.

Method:

• Using a potato peeler, peel the potatoes thinly, trying to only remove the skin and none of the flesh. Use the tip of a knife to remove any eyes or black spots.

• Cut the potatoes as follows: Cut them in half lengthwise. Then, following the seam on the cut side, cut them in half again lengthwise along the seam.

• Put the potatoes into a pot. If they don’t fit into the pot, cut the wedges in half

• Add the cut-up onion

• Add fresh cold water, to about 2“-3” above the potatoes.

• Add a sprinkling of salt and stir.

• Over medium heat, bring the pot to a boil and cook the potatoes until the point of a knife pierces them easily. They should be very soft, but not disintegrating.

• Drain the potatoes, reserving the cooking water.

• Return the pot to the stove.

• Add the butter in chunks and mash the potatoes with a hand-held, old-fashioned potato masher, until the butter is melted through and the potatoes are fairly smooth.

• Pour in the milk, a little at a time, and continue mashing until they’re silky smooth.

• Taste for salt and add a few grinds of black pepper.

• If the cold milk has chilled the potatoes, warm them over a low light, stirring so that the bottom of the pot doesn’t scorch.

• Transfer to a serving bowl.

Variations: (or, painting the lily)

• Drizzle a little truffle oil over the potatoes before serving, for a special treat.

• Add some chopped chives, scallions, or herbs over the top.

• Roast a whole head of garlic and squeeze the roasted cloves into the pot while you’re mashing the potatoes, for a wonderful roasted garlic flavor.

• Add a little sour cream or cream cheese while mashing.

• Mashed potatoes are also excellent with caramelized onions over the top.

  Remember the cooking water that I told you to reserve? It’s actually very tasty and chock full of potassium. My brother and I always split it between us to keep us occupied while we waited for dinner. We called it potato soup. You could also save it to add to vegetable stocks.