Perfect Mashed Potato

Every kitchen needs one of these.

There really isn't any great secret to good mash, just a few little tricks. And butter. Lots and lots of butter.


First... choose the right potato, you want something like a King Edward or a Desiree. 


Then... peel and boil. 


If you want to be extra fancy you can bake your potatoes whole, on a bed of salt, then when they are cooked scoop out the insides and use that as the base for your mash. 


If you are going to go the more traditional route and boil them I find that the larger you leave them the less water logged they get, but the more careful you have to be to ensure that the outside of each spud doesn't fall apart while leaving the centre raw. And you must salt the water very well. 


Once the spuds are soft to a knife, strain them and then pour them out onto a paper lined baking tray to steam dry for at least 5 minutes. Then, and this is an essential bit of kit for every kitchen, use a ricer to mash them. A ricer is fantastic because it stops the potatoes over working and becoming gluey and starchy. 


Season. Well. And add lots of cubed butter. Half a pack for mash for 4 people is on the mean side... You can add a very small amount of milk, literally a couple of tablespoons, or slightly more of cream. 

The great thing about mash is that is can keep really well if you make a double boiler.

Put your mash into a glass, heat resistant, bowl over the top of a couple of inches of water in the bottom of a pan. Don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water. Cover the bowl with foil and get a very gently steam going in the pan and the mash will be quiet happy for sometime.

The great thing about mash is, not only is it fantastic laden with butter and well seasoned but it can be adapted for different dishes. Adding mustard or horse radish is great with beef and a mash with a herb ribbon running through it is pretty damn fine.