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Both heavy cream and sour cream can help thicken your mashed potatoes while making them rich. They not only add flavor, but they also add significant fat, which helps make mashed potatoes silky and satisfying.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE MASHED POTATOES
- Simply skin or peel your russet potatoes and cut them into quarters. Make sure the potatoes are around the same size so they can cook evenly. Then place your potatoes into a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil using medium high heat.(pic 1)
- Boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until they are tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain the water.Add the hot milk, butter, & sour cream (pic 2).
- Using a masher, ricer, or electric hand mixer, mash the potatoes just until they’re creamy, fluffy and smooth. Remember not to overwork the starch! Add salt and pepper for taste. (pic 3-4) Add any of the suggested additions above like herbs or cheese or put your own twist on it!
- Serve with pats of butter. Perfect with meatloaf, fried fish, salisbury steak , fried chicken , smothered chicken or salmon cakes.
TIPS FOR CREAMY MASHED POTATOES
- Salt – You must salt your water. Salting the water is crucial step in flavorful potatoes. I usually use about 1.5 tablespoons of salt.
- Sour cream – Most mashed potato recipes call for milk and butter, but sour cream makes the final product even more flavorful, creamy and tang!
- Butter IS your friend when it comes to potatoes. You know butter makes everything better, especially in mashed potatoes. For rich flavor don’t skimp on butter.
- Hot milk rather than room temperature milk should be used in this mashed potato recipe. Adding cold milk straight from the refrigerator cools down the potatoes and may reduce the creaminess of your final product! The colder liquid also doesn’t get absorbed into the potatoes as fully as warm milk does.
- Mash – when mashing the potatoes, you can use any kind of masher you may have handy, whether it be a hand masher, a ricer, or an electric hand mixer, but be careful not to over-mix or overwork your potatoes or your spuds will become gummy. But fear not. You can make gummy potatoes work. I found a genius gummy potato idea that I MUST TRY!
- Add-ins: Fresh herbs and other flavors are a great and easy way to add more flavor to your mash! Garlic (a classic!), chives, basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley are some other great additions. You could explore bacon, shallots, or cheese! Parmesan is my fav! So delish!
HOW LONG TO BOIL POTATOES?
As a general rule of thumb, I suggest 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork. It is also important that the water you use to boil your potatoes in is cold – this ensures even cooking of your potato.
Using warm water may lead to the center of your potatoes remaining hard even after the outside gets nice and soft! It is also important to add salt to the water you boil your potatoes in.
Since potatoes absorb water as they cook, using salted water seasons the potatoes as they cook, making them nice and flavorful and preventing them from getting bland.
I added about 1.5 tablespoons of salt to the water and added more once the potatoes were mashed. If you want more control of the salt then I suggest adding 1 tablespoon salt to the cold water.
How to Thicken Mashed Potatoes
FAQ
Why do people put sour cream in mashed potatoes?
How do you make mashed potatoes thicker?
Can you substitute sour cream for milk in mashed potatoes?
Is cream cheese or sour cream better in mashed potatoes?
Are mashed potatoes good with sour cream?
Mashed potatoes with sour cream are so good y’all. The tangy flavor of the sour cream cuts down the richness. I love the versatility of mashed potatoes. Simply make with butter or dress them up with herbs, garlic or cheese. Homemade fluffy mash is truly the best! It only uses 5 ingredients. The recipe is super simple.
What can be used as a substitute for sour cream in baking?
Good substitutes for sour cream in baking are: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, buttermilk, coconut milk (the cream on top of full-fat coconut milk can be skimmed off and blended with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and sea salt to be used as a plant-based sour cream), cashews (blending soaked cashews with vinegar, lemon juice, and sea salt), commercial soy-based sour cream.
Can You thicken mashed potatoes with flour?
If you have flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk on hand, you can thicken up your mashed potatoes in a jiffy! In fact, cornstarch has 2x more thickening power than flour, so that’s usually my go-to. But either will work. Add one tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
How do you cook mashed potatoes with sour cream?
Stir in sour cream. Add splashes of milk to adjust the consistency. Season with salt and pepper, tasting as you go to prevent over-salting. Serve mashed potatoes warm with a sprinkle of chopped fresh chives and a pat of butter. I recommend serving mashed potatoes with extra sour cream on the side.