- 2½ pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Boil the potatoes in plenty of lightly salted water until they are tender throughout when pierced with a sharp fork or knife point. Drain the potatoes well and put them through a ricer or a food mill or press them through a sieve. Do not puree the potatoes in a food processor—they will become gluey.
- Working the potatoes as little as possible and using a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, beat in the butter and the cream and season the potatoes to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately or set aside and reheat in a casserole in a 350°F oven.
- This recipe for mashed potatoes can be varied endlessly.
- Variations:
- Foie Gras Mashed Potatoes:
- Use ½ cup foie gras scraps, chopped into dice. Sear the scraps in a hot sauté pan, stirring until the foie gras is just cooked and has rendered some fat. Fold the liver and fat into the mashed potatoes instead of the butter.
- Herbs and Cheese Mashed Potatoes:
- Add ½ cup grated Hawthorne Valley, Swiss, or Parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons herbs (garlic, chives, and parsley, for example) chopped into a paste to the potatoes before seasoning them.
- Horseradish Mashed Potatoes:
- Beat in 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish when you add the butter.
- Olive Oil and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes:
- Gently simmer 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary in 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for 5 minutes. Strain and add instead of the butter.
- Sorrel Mashed Potatoes:
- Beat in 2 tablespoons sorrel puree, (made from ¼ pound sorrel) when you add the butter.
- Yukon Gold and Dill Mashed Potatoes:
- Add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill to the potatoes and substitute 1/3 cup sour cream for the heavy cream.