For a smooth and airy puree, choose starchy varieties. They are round potatoes with light brown skin and light flesh. Starchy potatoes are very boiled during cooking, which provides a delicate consistency of mashed potatoes.

But it is better not to use potatoes with red skin. It does not boil so much, and the mashed potatoes can come out with lumps.

What to put in mashed potatoes, except potatoes

Classic mashed potatoes will not do without or cream. For a delicious flavor, add a few sprigs of thyme, rosemary, or other herbs to the liquid and heat over low heat.

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Another product that makes mashed potatoes tasty and fluffy is butter. Do not feel sorry for him and do not skimp when buying: the oil should be high in fat. Alternatively, you can take refined sunflower or olive oil. However, the taste of puree in this case will be slightly different.

Both milk and butter should be at room temperature. If they are cold, the potatoes will cool faster and the mashed potatoes will have to be stirred longer. This means that it can turn out to be sticky.

Some people put a few tablespoons of sour cream, mayonnaise, natural yogurt or grated cheese in mashed potatoes. You can also add a raw egg, fried onion, or mushrooms for flavor.

If you want to give the puree an unusual color, boil the potatoes along with beets, carrots, or pumpkin.

Fresh herbs will give a special aroma to the finished puree. It can be mixed with the rest of the ingredients, or you can sprinkle it on the dish.

How to make mashed potatoes

Peel the tubers and cut them into equally large cubes. Thus, the potatoes will cook more evenly and.

Place the cubes in a saucepan and cover with cold water so that it covers about 1 cm. Salt and put on fire.

By the way, they still argue about when to salt the puree. Alone Perfect Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk, Black Pepper and Green Onion chefs pick salt at the beginning, others Emeril Lagasse's Garlic Mashed Potatoes- at the end, third Mashed Potatoes, Kind Of Robuchon-Style- after boiling water. Opinions were also divided among famous professionals about which water to put potatoes in: cold Perfect mashed potatoes or already boiling How to make mashed potatoes.

One thing is for sure: the potatoes must be completely boiled. Checking the degree of doneness is easier with a knife. It should pierce the potato cube easily.

When the potatoes are ready, drain the saucepan, place the cubes in a colander and dry them slightly. To do this, put them back in a hot saucepan and leave for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. This will evaporate excess liquid from the potatoes, which is not at all needed in mashed potatoes.

Remember, the colder the potatoes, the harder they are to knead.

Puree must not be mixed in a blender: this can cause it to become viscous, sticky and, of course, tasteless. It is best to puree by hand using a perforated pusher. This won't take much of your energy, because the starchy potatoes become very soft after boiling.

For harder varieties, you can use a potato press. It will help get rid of the lumps.

Then add the remaining ingredients to the puree and mix well. Do not spare time and effort for this if you want the mashed potatoes to turn out to be airy. At the end, you can season the puree with spices to taste and mix again.

Bonus: 4 unusual recipes for mashed potatoes

Ingredients

• 400 g potatoes;
• 400 g cauliflower;
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ glass of cream;
• ¼ glasses of grated cheese;
• salt to taste;
• a few sprigs of green onions.

Preparation

Boil the potatoes. 10 minutes after the water boils, add the cauliflower florets and cook until tender.

Put butter, cream, cheese, salt in mashed vegetables and mix well until smooth.

Sprinkle with chopped green onions before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of potatoes;
• 1 onion;
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• a few teaspoons of salt;
• ½ teaspoon sugar;
• 2 cups unsalted coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon dried garlic

Preparation

Boil potatoes. Place the chopped onions in a skillet with oil, vinegar, a teaspoon of salt and sugar and cook for a few minutes. The onion should soften and take on a golden brown hue.

Add garlic and fried onions to the crushed potatoes. Stir well until smooth.

3. Baked potato and celery puree - Jamie Oliver's recipe

Ingredients

• 4 potatoes;
• sea ​​salt to taste;
• 300 g celery root;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme;
• spices to taste.

Preparation

Rinse potatoes and sprinkle with salt. Pierce the peel with a fork and place the tubers on a baking sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 190 ° C for 30 minutes.

Cut the celery root into large pieces. Place it and the garlic cloves on baking paper, sprinkle with salt and pepper, sprinkle with two tablespoons of olive oil and stir with your hands. Fold the paper so that you get a bundle.

Half an hour after starting to cook the potatoes, place the roll on a baking sheet and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Potatoes and celery root should be completely baked.

Peel the potatoes, squeeze out the baked garlic pulp, and combine with the celery. Add thyme leaves, olive oil and mix well. Season the puree with spices.

Ingredients

• 800 g potatoes;
• 500 g pumpkin;
• some ghee;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• salt to taste;
• 125 ml of milk;
• 100 ml cream;
• 2 tablespoons of butter;
• ground black pepper - to taste;
• some nutmeg;

Preparation

Peeled potatoes and cut into cubes and boil for 25-30 minutes. Heat ghee in a skillet and fry the chopped garlic in it.

Drain the saucepan, dry the vegetables and add milk, cream and butter to them. Stir well, season with salt, pepper, garlic and nutmeg and stir again.

Mashed potatoes are a versatile side dish for any dish: meat or vegetable. It is served with meatballs, cutlets, it goes well with meat goulash, vegetable stew and fish. Mashed potatoes are an excellent dietary dish and are recommended for those with some digestive problems. It contains a lot of starch, which has a healing effect on the stomach and intestines. Diet nutritionists recommend preparing mashed potatoes for breakfast and serving them with an omelet and salad made from fresh vegetables such as cabbage and carrots with apples.

In order for the mashed potatoes to turn out delicious, you need to choose certain varieties of potatoes for it. Potatoes with yellow flesh are best suited, there is a lot of starch in such tubers, which makes the mashed potatoes crumbly and rich in taste.

How to cook mashed potatoes properly?

For one serving, we need products:

• medium-sized potatoes - 2 pieces;
• the yolk of one very fresh egg;
• milk or potato broth - 50 ml;
• salt;
• a tablespoon (level) of butter;
• for decoration: sprigs of dill.

Cooking mashed potatoes correctly

1. Cut the peeled potato tubers into 4 pieces and put them to boil in boiling water. Salt water in the calculation of 1 tsp. salt per 1 liter. water. The cooking time for starchy potatoes is 15 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, wash the egg. To do this, you need to take a little soda (about a teaspoon), add a few drops of water and rub the egg shell thoroughly, and then rinse with water. Next, you need to separate the yolk from the protein. Crack the egg and separate the yolk by pouring it from one part of the shell to the other over a bowl. The protein will remain in the bowl.
3. We pour the potato broth into the dishes (we still need it).
4. Puree the potatoes in a blender or with a crush. Boiled potatoes turn into mashed potatoes very easily. Put butter in hot mashed potatoes.
5. Add milk or potato broth, yolk to the puree, add salt if necessary.

Thus, a very tasty and rich puree is obtained, enriched with vitamins and microelements. Bon Appetit!

Do you like the recipe? Then see mine.

Both adults and children love mashed potatoes. It can be an independent dish or served as a side dish for meat, fish, mushrooms.

It can be prepared from one potato or with the addition of other vegetables - carrots, onions, spinach, beets. And from this, the puree turns out to be multi-colored: pink, orange, green, yellow.

But before you start experimenting with different additives, you need to learn how to make regular mashed potatoes correctly.

Experienced housewives will cook it without difficulty. But those who begin to master the culinary skills of the hostess sometimes face unexpected problems. For example, mashed potatoes are lumpy or have an unpleasant grayish color. Why is this happening?

Mashed potatoes: the subtleties of cooking

• For mashed potatoes, take already adult potatoes, because young potatoes are cooked for a long time and do not have the friability that well-ripened tubers are endowed with.
• For mashed potatoes, use table potatoes with a starch content of 12-18%. Such potatoes boil well, but do not crumble. It can be identified by its thin skin, shallow eyes and light flesh, which does not darken for a long time on the cut.
• But it must be remembered that very boiling potatoes are saturated with water during cooking, becoming watery and tasteless. When boiling such potatoes, drain most of the liquid after 15 minutes, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook the tubers almost steamed, tightly closing the pan with a lid.
• If for many dishes potatoes can be boiled "in their uniforms", then for mashed potatoes the potatoes must be peeled.
• The mashed tubers must be the same, then they will be cooked at the same time. Leave large potatoes for frying or, in extreme cases, cut into 2-3 pieces.
• Sometimes potatoes darken during cooking. To prevent this from happening, add one tablespoon of vinegar to one liter of liquid to the water.
• If you put a clove of garlic or a bay leaf in the water in which you boil potatoes, then boiled potatoes will turn out to be much tastier.
• Cook the potatoes until cooked. Poorly cooked potatoes will make a lumpy puree, as you won't be able to crush them properly.
• Puree the potatoes while they are hot. Chilled potato puree will turn out to be viscous and tasteless.
• Use potato broth for diluting mashed potatoes, making soups and sauces, as it contains many useful trace elements. But if there is a suspicion that the potatoes were grown in an environmentally unfavorable area, the broth must be poured out, because not only useful substances, but also harmful ones, have passed from the potatoes to it.
• Knead mashed potatoes by hand - with a crush or pestle. When using a blender, the puree is viscous and viscous.
• Dilute puree only with hot milk. By adding cold milk to hot mashed potatoes, you run the risk of getting bluish potatoes (this reaction occurs due to starch).

Mashed potatoes with milk

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 800 g;
• milk - 230 ml;
• butter - 60 g;
• salt - 10 g per 1 liter of water.

Cooking method

• Peel the potatoes, rinse under running cold water. It is believed that after such a procedure, it will become crumbly, which is very important for poorly boiled varieties.
• Dip the tubers in boiling water, while it should only cover the vegetables by one centimeter. As soon as the water boils again, salt it. Thanks to this, the loss of minerals contained in potatoes will be minimal. Boil the potatoes at a moderate boil with a lid on.
• When the tubers become soft, drain the broth, and leave the pot with potatoes on the hot stove to evaporate the excess liquid.
• Immediately, without letting the potatoes cool, mash them with a wooden crush or pestle.
• Put in salt, oil. While stirring, pour in the hot milk in a thin stream.
• Beat the puree until it becomes fluffy and even small lumps disappear.

Rose mashed potatoes (with carrots)

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 800 g;
• small carrots - 1 pc.;
• milk - 230 ml;
• salt;
• butter - 60 g.

Cooking method

• Peel potatoes and carrots, wash. Dip the potatoes in boiling water, salt, cook until tender.
• Cut the carrots into circles, put them in a small cauldron or saucepan, put a piece of butter, pour in a little water (just to cover the bottom). Simmer until soft. Do not salt!
• Drain the broth from the potatoes. Combine both types of vegetables, chop in mashed potatoes. Continuing to grind, add butter, pour in hot milk. Beat mashed potatoes until fluffy.

Mashed potatoes with egg

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 800 g;
• eggs - 4 pcs.;
• butter - 25 g;
• salt.

Cooking method

• Boil peeled and washed potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain the broth, dry the potatoes from excess moisture. Rub through a sieve or crush with a crush.
• Add raw egg yolks. Put on very low heat and use a whisk to mix the puree well. Keep on the stove until it thickens and looks like a dough.

This puree is great for making a kind of cookie. To do this, put it on a table sprinkled with flour, roll it into a thick layer, cut into rectangles. Brush with an egg and bake in the oven until golden brown.

Mashed potatoes with onions

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 800 g;
• onions - 3 pcs.;
• butter - 50 g;
• eggs - 5 pcs.;
• potato broth for recipe number 1 - 120 ml;
• milk - 120 ml for recipe number 2;
• salt;
• black pepper;
• nutmeg - optional.

Cooking method No. 1

• Finely chop the onion. Fry lightly in oil until yellowish.
• Boil the potatoes until soft, drain the broth, and dry the tubers. Grind in mashed potatoes.
• Add the sautéed onions. While stirring, pour in the potato broth. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Mix thoroughly.
• Enter the egg yolks, stir.

Cooking method No. 2

• Peel potatoes and onions, wash, boil until soft in salted water.
• Crush with a crush or mince.
• Put in butter, pour in hot milk. Put on very low heat, beat until fluffy.
• Add egg yolks, stir until smooth.

Mashed potatoes with spinach

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 800 g;
• spinach - 200 g;
• milk - 100 ml;
• salt;
• butter - 50 g.

Cooking method

• Boil the potatoes until soft, drain the water, and mash the potatoes with a crush.
• Wash the spinach, dry it, mince it.
• Put butter in mashed potatoes, pour in hot milk, add chopped spinach. Put the saucepan with mashed potatoes on low heat, heat well. Remove from heat, beat thoroughly with a spoon until fluffy.

Mashed potatoes with pumpkin

Ingredients:

• potatoes - 800 g;
• pumpkin - 500 g;
• milk - 150 ml;
• butter - 50 g;
• salt;
• black pepper;
• nutmeg - to taste;
• pumpkin seeds.

Cooking method

• Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain the broth.
• Cut the pumpkin into cubes, put in a saucepan, add 25 g of oil and 50 ml of water. Stir until the pumpkin is tender, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer the pumpkin to a pot of potatoes. Use a crush to mash the vegetables into the puree. Add butter, hot milk and spices. Whisk the puree thoroughly until fluffy.

Note to the hostess

Serve hot only.

To make the puree smooth and fluffy, you can rub it through a sieve and then beat it.

Do not leave mashed potatoes the next day, as its taste and color will deteriorate significantly.

During the fast, milk can be replaced with potato broth, and butter - with sunflower oil.

Do you like meat? Take minced meat, fry it until tender in a pan, add to mashed potatoes and mix well.

Mushrooms can also be added to puree. Before that, wash them thoroughly, chop finely, fry in a pan or boil. Then combine with potatoes and mix well.

Spices for mashed potatoes
When chopping mashed potatoes, you can add a spoonful of grated lemon zest, red and black peppers, dill or parsley.

How to make thick mashed potatoes
If by accident more milk is poured into the mashed potatoes than planned, and there is no additional boiled potatoes, you can use the methods of thickening mashed potatoes (on mashed potatoes from 1 kilogram of potatoes and poured in 2 glasses of milk instead of 1):
- put on a quiet fire and boil for 3-5 minutes, waiting for the excess liquid to evaporate;
- add grated cheese and / or pour in a raw chicken egg, boil for 10 minutes over low heat after boiling;
- add 1 tablespoon of flour, mix thoroughly and also boil for 3-5 minutes;
- add powdered potatoes - 2 tablespoons of powder will be enough for 1 kilogram of potatoes.
It is important to remember that the mashed potatoes will become thicker when cooled - after a few seconds after cooling on a plate, the mashed potatoes will cease to be flimsy.

How to change the color of mashed potatoes
The color of the mashed potatoes can be easily changed by adding a little beetroot decoction.

Calorie content of mashed potatoes
The calorie content of mashed potatoes is 90 kcal / 100 grams.

Potato varieties for mashed potatoes
The Sineglazka and Golubizna varieties are most suitable for mashed potatoes - during cooking they have the highest viscosity.

How to shorten the cooking time of mashed potatoes
You can reduce the cooking time of potatoes by peeling them and cutting each potato into 4-5 pieces. Firstly, there will be less water (and the time for it to boil), and secondly, small pieces of potatoes will cook instead of the usual 20 in just 10-12 minutes.

Salt in puree
Salt is added before serving the puree to keep the puree airy.

Secrets of storing mashed potatoes
1. Potatoes must be mash immediately for mashed potatoes, do not store potatoes for mashed potatoes.
2. If the puree is being cooked for several days, add more water immediately during cooking so that the puree retains its lightness. Otherwise, it will become "tan" in a few hours.
3. Before serving mashed potatoes, beat additionally with a whisk - then it will be saturated with oxygen and regain its former airiness.

For experienced housewives, this question is not difficult and can cause a smile. But what if you are just starting to master the basics of cooking and still do not understand everything. Then this article is for you…

A few tips:

- To begin with, a lot depends on the type of potato. Best suited potatoes with a pinkish skin and yellow inside, medium in size.

- It is better not to use a mixer for whipping mashed potatoes, because you risk getting a sticky mass instead of delicious mashed potatoes. Use a metal crush

- Be sure to boil the milk for the puree and pour it hot, otherwise the puree may turn gray and lumps will form

- Let the potatoes boil well, if you do not cook, then the mashed potatoes will be lumpy

- Do not pour milk into the potatoes until you have thoroughly mashed the puree with butter

1) Peel the potatoes, cut them into four pieces and cook them on the stove. According to the rules, potatoes should be put in boiled water, and not just filled with water, but it is more convenient for me to fill it with hot water and then cook, the quality of the puree does not suffer. There should be just enough water to completely cover the potatoes:

2) When it boils, turn off the gas, add a little salt, salt can be added later, if not enough, it is advisable to remove the foam during cooking.

I usually boil mashed potatoes for a long time so that they soften better and there are no lumps, but due to considerations of loss of nutrients, this may not be correct, so decide which is preferable for you.

Pierce the potatoes from time to time with a fork, as it becomes soft and the fork is easy to enter, the potatoes can be drained. The potato broth can be drained into a bowl and used later for mashed potatoes:

3) Put butter in hot potatoes (if you think this amount of butter is large, put less, but I like to put a lot of butter, then it turns out tastier), cover with a lid and let it stand a little.

4) At this time, you need to boil the milk. Pour it into a small saucepan, bowl or ladle and wait for it to boil, as the milk rises, turn it off, but you can turn off the gas and boil it a little more:

5) Open the lid on the pot with potatoes and begin to knead with a crush. You need to mash very carefully, reaching to the very bottom and checking the edges of the pan so that no crushed potatoes are left anywhere.

6) When all the potatoes have been properly mashed, pour in most of the boiled milk (just do not pour it all at once, watch how the potatoes absorb the milk so as not to make the mashed potatoes too liquid), it is quite possible that this will be enough.

7) We continue to whisk the puree, try it with salt, if not enough, add some salt. Add the remaining milk, but if you see that the mashed potatoes are already thin, then you should not do this.

8. I want to note that after standing for a while, the potatoes will absorb the liquid, so if it seems to you that the mashed potatoes turned out to be liquid, do not worry, everything will be fine.

If, on the contrary, there is not enough liquid, you can pour in potato broth, if you left it, or just boiled water, to the consistency you need.

The puree is ready, you can put on plates and serve:

9) Use mashed potatoes as a side dish for main dishes, such as chicken, meat, fish, etc., potatoes go well with almost all foods. Prepare a salad or just chop fresh vegetables, you can also serve puree with pickled or pickled cucumbers, cabbage.

Bon Appetit!