Mashed Potatoes Recipe with Bacon & Caramelized Onions (2024)

FAQs

Should you soak potatoes in water before boiling for mashed potatoes? ›

If you don't rinse and soak the potatoes in water, all that starch that is naturally in potatoes will cause your mashed potatoes to become gluey and gummy. So rinse and soak the potatoes to remove as much of the starch as possible. The less starch the potatoes have, the fluffier and lighter they will be!

To avoid this, all you have to do is add the butter first, because it will coat the starch in fat to shield it from the water in the cream, and as a result, you'll end up with silky mashed potatoes rather than gluey ones.

They just taste rich (almost impossibly so). They do, however, feel creamy, because egg yolks are also emulsifiers (and are, in fact, the ingredient in mayo that makes it an emulsifier). The yolk emulsifies water and fat to create a cohesive, velvety bite, while providing a little fat and body of its own.

How long can peeled and cut potatoes sit in water before cooking, before they begin taking on too much water? A: We usually recommend no more than 24 hours. You can keep the potatoes from absorbing the water by making sure the water is not salted, and is chilled (you can even add ice to the water).

For most potato dishes it's important to add the potatoes to cold water and allow the water to come to a boil with the potatoes in the water. The potato starch can react as soon as it comes in contact with hot water, which will promote uneven cooking and mealy potatoes.

A word about butter: Don't melt butter before stirring it into the potatoes because the milk solids and fat will separate. You can add cold butter to your hot potatoes since the butter will melt as a whole and distribute the fat and milk solids evenly.

As always, better quality ingredients equals better tasting food. Heavy Cream - While you, hypothetically, could use whole milk or something, I don't recommend it. Part of what makes these the creamiest mashed potatoes is the CREAM! Use the cream, we aren't eating mashed potatoes for our health.

Avoid waxy varieties like Red Bliss and fingerling when making mashed potatoes. Because these varieties have a low starch content, they don't break down or absorb dairy as well as other starchier varieties, and often result in a gluey or gummy texture when mashed.

Sour cream adds a little bit of tangy flavor and a boost of richness to mashed potatoes. It's a fun change from the standard milk or cream and butter combo usually flavoring mashed taters. You can even try your hand at making homemade sour cream from heavy cream!

Garnish With Herbs

Speaking of delicious green things, both woody herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme, and leafy herbs like dill can add freshness to this starchy side. A herb-based sauce like pesto swirled into mashed potatoes is another way to add vibrant flavor.

Why are Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes so good? ›

Made with fresh real potatoes, butter, and milk, Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes tastes like homemade. We put extra care into making our mashed potatoes rich and creamy to deliver that homemade flavor you expect.

Garten's recipe uses a few simple ingredients, including Yukon Gold potatoes.

Ingredients. Potatoes, Dairy Blend (Milk, Butter [Cream, Salt], Soybean Oil, Salt, Natural Flavor, Monoglycerides), Water, Contains Less than 2% of Garlic Powder, Natural Flavor, Potassium Sorbate (to Maintain Freshness), Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (to Maintain Color).

The secret ingredient is just ice-cold water.

You soak the potatoes in iced water before they are cooked. This eliminates much of the starches in the potatoes, resulting in a super light and fluffy mash. It's also like when you make rice.

If you're pressed for time, the slightly sticky, cut potatoes should be soaked for a minimum of 15 minutes. However, a longer soak time may allow more starch to be removed. So, if you can prep the fries ahead of time, a few hours of soaking can help make them even crispier.

Drop a whole russet into the pot and by the time the outside has cooked through, the inside will still be raw. Larger potatoes should be cubed to ensure they cook evenly (peeled first if desired). Smaller potatoes tend to have thin skins and can be boiled whole, no peeling required.

Leaving unpeeled potatoes in water overnight could lead to them absorbing excess water, making them waterlogged. This may impact their texture when cooked, potentially resulting in a less desirable consistency. Moreover, some water-soluble nutrients may leach out into the water.