Finally, make-ahead mashed potatoes with only 5 ingredients

I used to search through magazines and cookbooks every year for new recipes to try for Thanksgiving. Finally, my family staged a small revolt and asked me not to do this anymore; they looked forward to their tried-and-true favorites and missed them when they weren’t on the table.

So, we have a very traditional Thanksgiving menu of turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole (no marshmallows) and green bean casserole, along with both homemade cranberry sauce and relish. Many of these dishes can be made ahead of time, which makes Thanksgiving day less stressful. But every year I dread making what I call the last-minute mashed potatoes.

Why last minute? I’ve never had much success making simple mashed potatoes ahead of time. They either turn out to be dry and stiff or a gluey mess. There was a year when I didn’t make mashed potatoes at all, but my family missed them. And let’s face it, they are the best vehicle ever for great turkey gravy.

I know what you’re thinking: There is a great recipe for a mashed potato casserole and many love it, and you would be right. But if, like me, you prefer mashed potatoes without the addition of cream cheese and other items, and you’d like to make them a day or two or three ahead of time, then I have the recipe for you!

All you need is five simple ingredients — potatoes, butter, heavy cream or whole milk, salt and pepper — and the right technique.

Before trying this recipe, I decided I needed to have a better understanding of why this method works and of all the ways NOT to make mashed potatoes, many of which result in the unappealing textures I mentioned earlier.

First, gummy mashed potatoes are caused by overworking the potatoes, which then ruptures the starch cells and leaves you with a sticky mess. This most often happens when potatoes are “mashed” with an electric mixer or food processor, but can also happen with a masher when potatoes are overworked in order to achieve a smooth texture.

This can be avoided by using a potato ricer (looks like a giant garlic press) or food mill to “mash” cooked potatoes by pressing them through small holes, resulting in perfectly mashed potatoes and eliminating any overworking possibilities.

Another mistake is adding cold ingredients to hot potatoes. The butter doesn’t need to be melted, but even being at room temperature helps greatly, allowing the butter to melt from the warmth of the potatoes without requiring a lot of stirring. Be sure to warm your milk or cream, too.

Another way to set yourself up for a challenge is to overcook your potatoes. Starch granules in potatoes are like little sponges and can absorb too much water if overcooked. An indicator of this is if they break apart when you drain them. If this happens to you don’t fret, all is not lost.

After draining the potatoes, put them back into the pot they were boiled in and place the pot over medium heat on the stove. Do not add anything other than potatoes. This will help the potatoes release some of the water and dry them out a bit. This only takes about 5 minutes, stirring periodically but not overworking the potatoes.

Lastly, it is important to use the right type of potato — I like Yukon Golds. While russets are great for baked potatoes, they have the highest starch content of any potato, which make them more likely to become gummy. Using a low-starch potato, like a Yukon Gold, make the potatoes easier to mash and less likely to be overworked and become starchy.

This recipe starts with whole, skin-on Yukon Gold potatoes in a pot of cold water. Cooking potatoes with the skin on keeps more flavor and nutrients locked inside and helps to prevent them from becoming waterlogged. Pick potatoes similar in size and be sure to use cold water, as heating the water and potatoes together helps to promote even cooking.

Once drained, allow potatoes to cool slightly, remove skin and press through a food mill or potato ricer. Don’t worry if you don’t have either of these. You can use a rubber spatula to press the potatoes through a small-holed vegetable strainer instead, and the results will be similar.

This is the magic point in making these potatoes when you need to resist the strong urge to mix like crazy. Instead, gradually add softened butter by folding it into the potatoes, almost as if you were “petting” them. Do not overmix, but carefully allow the potatoes to absorb all the butter before adding heavy cream or whole milk. This lets the butter coat the starch granules, which will help keep them from releasing any additional starch that might cause the potatoes to become gummy.

Next, add heavy cream or whole milk (again the fat is important), little by little, allowing it to be absorbed between additions with the same folding method, until you reach your desired texture.

I know it will seem like a lot of butter and cream, but the same fat that protects the potatoes from becoming gummy also allows you to make these several days ahead of time. Just before serving, gently warm them over low heat, adding small amounts of additional cream as needed. Remember, butter is solid when cold, so the potatoes will seem firm when they first come out of the refrigerator. But they will soften as they warm, so be sure not to add too much liquid too soon.

I hope you find these as delicious as I do and appreciate the simple ingredients. You may want to consider serving them with the make-ahead turkey gravy from my November 2016 column.

Most of all, no matter what you eat and do on Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful day.

• Penny Kazmier, a wife and mother of four from South Barrington, won the 2011 Daily Herald Cook of the Week Challenge. Contact Penny at DhCulinaryAdventures@gmail.com.

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Make Ahead Five-Ingredient Mashed Potatoes

4 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed

Kosher salt

⅔ to 1 cup heavy cream, warmed

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted or significantly softened

Freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot; add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Heat to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender but not soggy, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to warm pot.

Melt butter and set aside.

Press hot potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill. Most of the skins will be caught in the ricer or food mill, but if you’d rather peel them first, this is the time.

Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Gradually add butter a couple tablespoons at a time, folding gently with a rubber scraper until absorbed.

Gradually add warmed cream, reserving ¼ cup if making ahead of time.

Serve immediately or, if making ahead of time, allow to cool, cover and refrigerate.

Do Ahead: Potatoes can be made 2-3 days ahead. To serve, transfer potatoes to a pot and warm gently, adding remaining heavy cream; reheat over medium-low, stirring gently to prevent scorching.

Serves 8-10

— Penny Kazmier