Any true American Thanksgiving table has a bowl of delectable mashed potatoes sitting atop the table among the turkey, stuffing, gravy and green beans. Though frozen potatoes may make the cut at other times of year, they just don’t cut it for Thanksgiving. No – for Thanksgiving, it’s time to break out the old fashioned recipes, the ones that your grandmother used when you were a child. We have a great, classic mashed potatoes recipe that will leave your family’s tastebuds satisfied, and wanting more.
Ingredients
1 sack russet potatoes (Roughly 10-15 medium potatoes)
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Cooking Instructions
Begin by peeling and quartering each of your potatoes and then set them aside. Bring a large pot of cold, salted water to boil after dropping each potato quarter in, and allow the potatoes to boil until very soft, about 15-20 minutes or until contact with a fork or utensil causes them to break apart.
Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain the water with a strainer. Put the soft potato quarters in a large mixing bowl, and with a hand held mixer, begin to mash them up. Once the potatoes are sufficiently mashed (but not smooth or without chunks), drop in your softened butter, one tablespoon at a time. Continue to mix the potatoes and the butter between tablespoons, drizzling in your heavy cream along the way until it’s gone. Once your cream and your butter have been thoroughly mixed in, add in your cup of sour cream and blend that in as well.
Now, switch your mixing paddle to that of a whisk (if you don’t have one, use a fork), and quickly whip the potatoes up to eliminate all chunks, all lumps and to create a smooth, whipped texture. Add in salt and pepper to taste along the way. If you’d like to thin the potatoes out with a creamier texture, drop in a little more sour cream. Feel free to add in a little more butter, if you prefer a more buttery taste. Add ingredients until the taste is exactly what you’d like it to be.
This recipe is a classic, and one that can be adjusted to taste depending on just how you like your mashed potatoes. Stick with the common potato recipe ingredients – heavy cream, sour cream, butter and salt, you’ll be good to go on Thanksgiving day!
Image Credit: iStock
