Velvety mashed potatoes made with Yukon golds passed through a ricer, then loosened with a cup of warm cream and half a stick of butter. Olive oil and chives go on at the end. An easy Christmas dinner side dish that feeds eight and takes forty minutes from peeling to the table.
Never put potatoes through a food processor or a blender. The blades tear the starch granules open and the mash turns to glue in seconds, which no amount of cream will fix.
The potatoes have to be cut into chunks before they go in the water, which the source never says. Three large whole Yukon golds will not be tender in fifteen minutes, and you will be standing there at forty.
Velvety Mashed Potatoes
Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalYukon golds simmered soft, riced into a bowl while hot, then beaten smooth with cream and butter warmed together. Olive oil stirred through at the end, chives on top.
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil, optional
Chopped fresh chives, for serving
Directions
- Warm the cream: Warm the cream with the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts, then set it aside.
- Boil the potatoes: Cut the peeled potatoes into even chunks, put them in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, add 1 teaspoon salt, then lower the heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until very tender. Drain.
- Rice them: Pass the hot potatoes through a food mill or a ricer into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cream: Stir in the warm cream and butter until it is fully absorbed and the mash is smooth.
- Finish: Season with salt and pepper, stir through the olive oil if using, and scatter the chives over the top.
FAQs
How many potatoes is three large Yukon golds?
Somewhere around two pounds, since a large Yukon gold runs between seven and twelve ounces each. That matters here because one cup of cream into two pounds is rich, and into one pound it is soup. Weigh them if you can and work to two pounds.
What if I do not have a ricer or food mill?
A plain masher works and gives you a rustic mash instead of a smooth one, which is no bad thing. Push the cooked potato through a coarse sieve with a spoon if you want closer to velvety. The one tool to avoid is anything with a blade.
Why warm the cream first?
Cold cream poured into hot potato seizes the starch and drops the temperature of the whole bowl. Warming it with the butter means it slides in and gets absorbed instead of sitting on top. It also saves you reheating the mash later.
Do I need the olive oil as well as the cream?
It is listed as optional and it is genuinely optional, because the cream and butter already carry the dish. The oil adds a green peppery note at the end rather than more richness. If you want a lighter potato on the same table, roast some instead, like these herb roasted potatoes.
What should I serve them with?
Anything with gravy or pan juices, because that is what the well in the middle is for. Beef is the classic partner and the richness works against a salty crust. A slow roasted prime rib and a bowl of these is a Christmas dinner on its own.
