The Best Mashed Potatoes you'll ever make

All of us like mashed potatoes. A good bowl of mashed potatoes can pull any meal together, regardless of what leftovers you have in your refrigerator.


But let's be honest; a nice pan of homemade mashed potatoes can be very daunting. But before you reach for that packet of instant potatoes just imagine if you made one big pan of mashed potatoes and saved them for later in the week. That's what I do, and it's a quick and easy way to pair with sliced ham and cole slaw for a nice dinner. With your potatoes already prepared you have have dinner on the table before the pizza delivery car pulls in the drive-way.


Ducky's Best Mashed Potatoes


One 5 lb bag of yukon gold potatoes
1 cup milk
2 sticks butter
2 tbs kosher salt


Peel potatoes and cut in either cubes or discs. Cut them about the same size for even cooking. Rinse in a colander and put them into a heavy saucepan (you'll need a fairly good size pan) and cover potatoes in cold water. Over high heat, bring potatoes to a boil. Reduce heat just slightly, and boil for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you should be able to put a knife through a potato. If there is a little resistance, you can continue to boil for 5 minutes but any longer and they'll turn to mush.


Drain potatoes and return to the pan. This will ensure any water left in the potatoes will dry out since the pan is still hot. In the meantime, warm the cup of milk and 1 1/2 sticks of butter until warm and butter is melted (reserve the other 1/2 stick to top potatoes.) Set liquid aside.


The best way to mash the potatoes is using an old fashioned potato masher. Mine has a round end and looks like a grid. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of kosher salt over potatoes, and mash the entire pan. This is going to take you a few minutes but it's worth it. After mashing for a few minutes, use a wooden spoon and stir potatoes, then mash again. Once you have a smooth mash, start adding the liquid/butter slowly, stirring after each addition. Remember, you can add more but it's hard to take away. As soon as all the liquid and potatoes are incorporated, stop stirring. Taste for additional salt and if you like, add pepper. Smooth the top (making sure there are some indentations for the pools of butter) and then using the last 1/2 stick of butter, distribute in small pats all over the top.

In normal circumstances, you should have 20 + servings of potatoes. You can go ahead and package up half the potatoes now because trust me, these potatoes are so good they'll go quick.

If you do this once a week, you have a great side dish for anything. If you are at the deli of your grocery store, the rotisserie chickens make a great entree, and if you have the potatoes at home then all you have to do is grab a container of cole slaw, or cottage cheese and you have a meal. Much better than burgers or pizza. Cheaper too.