Mashed potatoes are one of the best comfort food side dishes to eat once the weather turns cold, but they often turn out a little bland or flavourless if you follow a standard recipe. Potatoes are really absorbent and simply boiling them in water to make mash is wasteful as they will not be as rich or creamy as they should be.
Instead, Chris Joe, the founder of CJ Eats Recipes, have revealed cooking the “best and creamiest mashed potatoes you will ever make” is simple as long as you boil your potatoes with chicken stock. Chris said: “This is my secret ingredient for the best Mashed Potatoes – rather than cooking the potatoes in water, I like to boil the in chicken broth for extra flavour. Once you try this method, you will never go back!”
Potatoes are quite neutral and plain on their own, but boiling them in chicken stock infuses them with seasoning and herbs before you even mash them.
This means your mashed potatoes do not need to rely on butter or cream quite as much, so will be less heavy and fatty while still boosting the flavour.
Cooking potatoes with some chicken stock is a simple method to make the dish truly satisfying and give your humble spuds more depth using only ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen cupboard.
How to give mashed potatoes more flavour
You will need (for six people):
- 1.4kg of Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 litres of chicken stock
- 115g of unsalted butter
- Five garlic cloves
- 120ml of whole milk
- 120ml of single cream
- One tablespoon of fresh thyme
- One tablespoon of fresh rosemary
- One tablespoon of chives
- 50g of Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper
Yukon Golds are the best type of potatoes for making mash as they are naturally quite buttery and also break down easily, so you will have a easier time getting smooth mash. However, if you cannot find Yukon Gold potatoes, then use Maris Piper or Charlotte potatoes instead.
Instructions
To begin, peel your potatoes, wash them and put them into equally sized five centimetre chunks. This ensure that the potatoes cook quickly as well as evenly.
Add the potatoes to a large pot and then pour in the chicken stock until they are completely covered. Make sure to start off with cold chicken stock to make sure the potatoes cook properly from the inside.
Place the stove on a high heat and boil the potatoes for 20 minutes until they are soft and fork tender. If you wish, you can save the chicken broth to turn it into a gravy.
While the potatoes are cooking, place a pan on a medium heat and then add the butter. Once the butter has melted, lower the heat and then add the grated garlic, chopped thyme, chopped rosemary, and salt and pepper.
Let the butter, herbs and garlic simmer for five minutes so flavours become fully infused. Once the potatoes are ready, it is time to mash them up with a masher or potato ricer, if you own one.
When the potatoes are fully mashed, place on a low-heat and add the infused herb butter from the pan, cream, milk and grated Parmesan.
Mix everything together until smooth, then garnish with chopped chives. Your creamier and even tastier mashed potatoes will then be ready to serve.