Perfectly smooth creamy mashed potato

Serves 4  Cooking and prep time: 50mins

Ingredients

2lbs Desiree potatoes

1 tsp of salt

50g butter

4 tbp milk

2 tbp crème fraiche or cream

 

Method

1. Peel and cut potatoes into large chunks – evenly sized as possible.
2. Add to a large pan and add a teaspoon of salt. Fill the pan with water just covering the potatoes.
3. Bring the pan to the boil and then simmer on a reduced heat for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.
4. Alternatively you can steam them over boiling water for 20-25 minutes. They should be soft in the centre (the thickest part).
5. Drain out the excess water and place potatoes in a glass bowl. Add the milk, butter and pepper. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth.
6. Pass the mixture through a sieve to take out all the lump. Add in the cream or crème fraiche for a creamy mash.
7. Alternatively, use an electric hand whisk – add your cream or crème fraiche, then start on the slow setting to break up all the potatoes, and then increase the speed to make it fluffy and creamy, but not too fast.

Top Tips:

Don’t add potatoes to already boiling water as this causes lumps

Don’t use the wrong potatoes as waxy ones do not break down easily.

Don’t add cold butter and cream, it cools the mash down.

Don’t forget your salt in the boiling water