Homemade butter and chive mashed potatoes is an easy and delicious recipe that everyone will enjoy. This recipe is perfect for everyday meals or for special occasions and holidays.
Now everyone has their own way of making mashed potatoes or even multiple ways like I do. This recipe is going to be a more rustic version of mashed potatoes since we leave the skin on.
There will be no fancy ricer gadget required when making this recipe. You will need a potato masher for this recipe but if you do not have one then the bottom of a coffee mug will so the trick.
You can easily just peel the skin off if you don’t like that but for me, that is where all the nutrients are so I prefer leaving it on. These mashed potatoes are a beautiful golden color thanks to the Yukon gold potatoes that are used.
Golden potatoes not only have a beautiful color but in my opinion, they just taste better.
If you have never made mashed potatoes before you do not need to fear. I will give you tips to make them easily and help you avoid any problems. With a few simple steps, you can not only make mashed potatoes that are delicious but you will see how easy they are to make ahead of time and re-heat.
Helpful steps for making amazing mashed potatoes:
- Cut your potatoes before cooking them. This not only speeds up the cooking time but makes sure the potatoes are cooked all the way through.
- Make sure when you do cut your potatoes that you cut them into even sizes before adding them to the water to cook. This makes sure that all your potatoes cook evenly.
- How to tell when your potatoes are cooked all the way through is important. Just scoop one out of the boiling water and if it can easily be pierced with a fork and has a little falling apart about, it’s done. If the potato can be pierced but it is still firm, give it a few more minutes.
- After cooking your potatoes, turn off the heat to your stove, drain the water and place the potatoes back in the pot.
- Bring your potatoes in the pot back on top of the hot burner that you used to cook them and stir them in the pot for a few minutes. This allows a lot of the water the potatoes absorbed to evaporate which ensures your potatoes are not water logged. It will also help the potatoes absorb the delicious cream and butter you are going to add later.
So I mentioned lots of ways to make your mashed potatoes amazing but there are also a few helpful things you can do to make them ahead of time and have them re-heated when you are ready. This is often a problem people have around the holidays when you are looking to make as much as possible ahead of time.
I also like making my mashed potatoes ahead of time for regular meals because it can take a little work and I am usually pressed for time when dinnertime rolls around.
Helpful make ahead tips:
When making mashed potatoes ahead of time, you can either opt to keep them warm until dinner is ready or just make them entirely the day before and re-heat them. Here is how to do both.
Keeping the mashed potatoes warm after making them:
- To keep you mashed potatoes warm after you went through all the work to make them, you just place them in a large heat proof bowl (glass is perfect) over simmering water.
- To do this just fill a sauce pot about 4-5 inches high and bring to a simmer with the bowl on top. Once the water has come to a simmer, reduce to the lowest setting and tightly wrap the top of your bowl with aluminum foil to keep the potatoes from drying out.
- This method works best if you are only trying to keep the potatoes warm for about and hour or so. If you made these much more ahead of time than that then you should follow the steps for completely re-heating.
To completely re-heat your mashed potatoes:
You will still use the method above with the simmering water but in this step you will need to have extra cream and butter on hand to help hydrate the potatoes as they re-heat.
To gently re-heat your potatoes over the water, you just add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of a cream and butter mixture to your potatoes and stir it in well. Start with less liquid and add more as needed.
After the potatoes have reached the right consistency, taste and see if it needs any additional salt or pepper.
That’s it! Everything you need to make these amazing mashed potatoes. They will definitely be the hit.
For more delicious potato recipes:
- Potato and Brussels Sprouts Gratin
- Roasted Cauliflower and Potatoes
- Salt and Vinegar Potato Wedges
- Indian Garlic Soup (made from Potatoes)
Butter and Chive Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- potato masher
Ingredients
- 12 medium Yukon gold potatoes or golden potatoes skins are left on for this recipe. You can remove them if your prefer.
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 1 small bunch of chives chopped up finely
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and place on the stove.
- Clean your potatoes and cut into large quarters of the same size. Some of the potatoes may need extra cutting if they are larger than others. Just make sure your cut potatoes are all the same size so they cook evenly.
- Place your cut potatoes into the pot of water and bring to a boil.
- Once the potatoes have come to a boil, reduce heat to medium high and cook until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and they look like they are just barely starting to come apart.
- Drain your potatoes when they are done cooking and place back into the pot they cooked in, about 15-25 minutes depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Place the pot over the hot (but turned off burner) that the potatoes cooked on and toss them around a few times to allow some of the water in the potatoes to evaporate.
- In a microwave safe bowl, melt your butter and cream together then put aside.
- Remove your potatoes from the stove.
- With a potato masher, mash up your potatoes well until it starts to look somewhat smooth.
- Now pour half of your butter and cream mixture into the pot with the potatoes and with the potato masher, mix it in to the potatoes.
- Once the cream and butter mixture is mixed in, add your salt, pepper and half of the remaining cream and butter mixture.
- Now add 1/2 of your chopped chives.
- Mix well again and then taste for seasoning. Potatoes soak up salt so you may want to add more at this point.
To serve
- Place your mashed potatoes into a large bowl.
- With the back of a large spoon, make a swirl around the top of the mashed potatoes. This is a small well to pour in the remaining butter and cream.
- Now carefully drizzle the remaining butter mixture over your potatoes.
- Sprinkle with your remaining chives.
- Serve immediately.
Really loved this dish! VERY EASY