The Very Best Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Today, we are making the best browned butter mashed potatoes, perfect for Thanksgiving! The side dish will be the most popular dish on the table. Even the pickiest little guests will be asking for seconds. 

I must warn you that once you make brown butter mashed potatoes, you may never be able to eat any other kind. 

This mashed potato recipe is relatively easy to make, but they make a bit of a mess filling up the dishwasher just from making mashed potatoes. The good news is that you can make them ahead (a few hours up to a day early), and they are just as delicious! So you can get the mess out of the way!

First, let’s talk about the special equipment you’ll need to make these smooth mashed potatoes:

Special Equipment

• Potato peeler
• Vegetable scrub brush
• Sharp knife
• Large pot
• Small pot to melt and brown butter
• Colander
• Potato ricer
• Large spoon
• Hand electric mixer or stand mixer

Ingredients 

• Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes
• Butter
• Heavy cream (or whole milk)
• Salt
• Chives or other fresh herbs

Steps to making the very best brown butter mashed potatoes that everyone will love

1. Wash the potatoes
2. Peel the potatoes
3. Chop the potatoes so that all pieces are similar in size. I cut in half lengthwise and then slice into six large chunks.
4. Place potatoes cut into large chunks in a large pot of cold salted water. I like to use a pot that is dishwasher safe, like this one.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-heat.
6. Boil potatoes until fork tender.
7. Drain potatoes and then return to the same pan, and place on the burner for just a few seconds until the moisture has evaporated.
8. Remove from the heat and spoon chunks into potato rice. Rice, all of the potatoes.
9. Meanwhile, prepare the butter by melting it over low heat in a small sauce pan
10. Heat the heavy cream over low heat or in the microwave just until it’s slightly warm but not cold.
11. Once the potatoes are riced into a bowl of a stand mixer, slowly add the hot butter, then the cream, a little at a time, until you have the perfect consistency of velvety smooth mashed potatoes.
12. Add a little more salt and pepper to taste, and blend.
13. You could mash by hand with a tool like this, but using a mixer will make it a much smoother, velvety texture.

Tips to Ensure Success

1. Prepare the bowl by running very hot water in the bowl on the inside and outside of the metal bowl to make sure it’s hot when you add the potatoes. This is especially important in the winter when the metal mixing bowl will be very cold. 
2. Make sure that the milk and butter are prepared so that once you have riced the potatoes, you are ready to mix everything together.
3. If you are unsure of brown butter, melt the butter until golden, then save a little to take it even deeper with little brown bits in the bottom of the pan. Some people like this, others prefer a more smooth texture. It’s really a personal preference. They are delicious either way! 

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November 1st, we will be sending out our Complete Guide to Hosting Thanksgiving. It’s a checklist for the weeks, days, and hours leading up to Thanksgiving, packed full of tried and true recipes and more! It will be sent out in an easily printable format to which you can also add your own notes. All you have to do is make sure you are on the list! You can read more in this recent post.