Jill of All Trades: Perfect Mashed Potatoes

(FOX 2) - This week, our Jill of All Trades, Jill Washburn, shows us some tips for making better mashed potatoes for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Tip #1:  Jill says to boil your potatoes with salt in the water.  It seasons them much more evenly than salting them after the fact.

Tip #2:   This tip is super important.  Jill says that mashing or whipping potatoes too much makes them gummy or gluey.  Chefs swear by using a potato ricer, but that’s not really practical when you’re cooking for a crowd.  That said, the less that you mash or whip, the better the consistency will be.

Tip #3:  Add the fats first.  If you’re adding butter, or olive oil, or any other fats, make sure you put those in first.  The fats will coat the potatoes and will keep the liquids from making the potatoes gluey.

Tip #4:  Now for the rest of the add-ins… when you add the liquids, Jill recommends warming them first.  That way, you’re not cooling down your potatoes when your goal is to get them to the table nice and hot.

Tip #5:  Add some flavor.  Jill likes a healthy sprinkle of garlic powder.  Not enough to make them garlic-y, just enough to give them some interest.  Another way to add flavor is to add broth or soup stock to the potatoes.  Even if you’re vegan, you can add vegetable stock for a flavor boost.

There you go!  Better mashed potatoes for your meal, from Jill of All Trades!

PROJECT RATING:  Super Easy

To watch Jill take you through the process, just click on the video player above.