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Rolling Sauce

Fluffy, Buttery Mashed Potatoes

The technique that actually works — Russet potatoes boiled and properly dried, riced or mashed before the starch is overworked, finished with warm room-temperature butter and cream. Fluffy, rich, never gluey.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Potatoes
  • - 3 pounds Russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • - 2 tablespoons kosher salt for the cooking water
Mash
  • - 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces, at room temperature
  • - ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream or whole milk warmed
  • - ¼ cup sour cream or crème fraîche
  • - 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • - ½ teaspoon white or black pepper
Optional Garnish
  • - Additional butter melted, for serving
  • - Chopped fresh chives or flat-leaf parsley

Method
 

  1. Place potato chunks in a large pot. Cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook 15–20 minutes until a fork slides through a chunk with zero resistance and the potato nearly falls apart.
  2. Drain thoroughly in a colander. Return the empty pot to low heat and add the potatoes back. Shake gently for 1–2 minutes until steam rises and the potato surfaces look dry and floury.
  3. Pass potatoes through a potato ricer back into the pot, or mash with a handheld masher. Work while hot.
  4. Add the room-temperature butter a few pieces at a time, folding gently between each addition. Add the warm cream or milk gradually, folding between pours, until the potatoes reach desired consistency. Fold in the sour cream.
  5. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust.
  6. Transfer to a warm serving bowl. Swirl the surface, add a pat of butter to melt over the top. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan with added warm milk and butter.
  • Make ahead: Hold warm in a slow cooker on KEEP WARM for up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Or cover the pot and hold in a 200°F oven up to 1 hour.
  • Key rule: Never use an electric mixer, blender, or food processor — they will make the potatoes gluey.
  • Swap: Yukon Gold potatoes for a creamier, butterier result. Cream cheese (3–4 oz) in place of sour cream for extra richness.