Easy Homemade Mashed Potatoes

Everyone loves a good spud. They’re so versatile. They can play a role in your main dish, and let’s face it, very palatable (even to the kids)! There are many recipes that are to come soon featuring different kinds of potatoes, but today we’re going to take a look at some creamy, home-made mashed potatoes. If you’re in need of a good side for your meat dish, or are taking a side to Thanksgiving or a potluck, these will be sure to please!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of Red Potatoes (About 1-2 pounds)
• 2 ½ Sour Cream
• 1  Stick butter
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
• 1 teaspoon of accent seasoning

Optional:

• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup of bacon

Directions:

1. After assembling all ingredients, give your potatoes a thorough wash.
2. Cut the potatoes into quarters so that they cook evenly and faster. If you don’t like the potato skins, peel them before cutting. (I keep the potato skins on to give the end product some more texture)
3. Move your cut potatoes to a pot and fill it with water to cover the spuds about an inch to an inch and a half. 
4. Add about a tablespoon of salt to your pot. The salty water will be absorbed by the potatoes, but they will not be overly salty, just taste better in the end results.
5. Cook on medium high to high for about 15 to 20 minutes or until fork tender. If you cook them too long they’ll break down into a glue like substance.
6. If you’re adding bacon, use this time to cook it as you normally would. Once the bacon is done, take it from the pan and place on a plate with a paper towel or two so that the excess grease drains. Let the bacon slices cool (and maybe eat a slice or two if you made extra.)
7. Once your spuds are fork tender, drain them, and then transfer to the large bowl you plan to smash and then serve them from. Cover the bowl with a dish towel (this helps them to keep warm until serving, and the towel will absorb moisture that potentially makes the spuds too watery.)
8. Once the potatoes are in the bowl, chop up your bacon into fine delicious pieces. Once done, add the sour cream, butter, chives, salt, accent, and if you chose to include them, the cheese, and bacon.
9. Now that everything is in the bowl, get your masher if you’re old school like me and take your stress out mashing part of your dinner. Otherwise, you can use a mixer to incorporate everything on a low setting.
10. Once done, serve while warm, you can also place the towel back on the top as mentioned earlier if you need to finish your main dish.

Side Note:

The potatoes used in this recipe are red potatoes because they are small and easy to cut. If you’d like extra creamy mashed potatoes you can add another dollop of sour cream which also adds a bit of tanginess that cuts the richness of the butter. You can also change the recipe to make it your own by adding things like chicken stock, warm milk, garlic, cream cheese, and more. As mentioned earlier, this is a very versatile plant, so make it yours and enjoy!