katie lee
at home
mashed potatoes
potatoes
vegetarian
side dishes
comfort food
easy
3-ingredient

Katie Lee Biegel, co-host of Food Network's "The Kitchen," shares a family recipe for mashed potatoes that use a specific ingredient for their fluffiness.

"My grandma and her sister, my great-aunt Pat, make the best mashed potatoes on the planet. Whenever we had a family dinner, there would be a pot of a minimum of ten pounds of mashed potatoes, and no matter how much was made, there would be none left at the end of the meal. Sadly, my grandma suffers from Alzheimer's, so I am no longer able to ask her for her cooking secrets, but I was lucky enough to have learned as much as I could from her in the past. I had never quite mastered mashed potatoes, though, so I called on Pat and asked her for the secret. I presumed it would be heavy cream and a massive amount of butter, but I was wrong. Pat said she uses hot 2% milk rather than cream. She said the lower fat content actually makes for lighter, fluffier mashed potatoes. There is plenty of butter for flavor. She uses an electric mixer to whip the potatoes; just be sure to stop as soon as they reach a creamy texture, because it is easy to go into gummy territory if you whip for too long." –Katie Lee Biegel

For more recipes from her new book, check out her Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad and Turkey Meatloaf. 

Adapted from It's Not Complicated by Katie Lee Biegel. Copyright © 2021 by Katie Lee Biegel. Used with permission by Abrams. All rights reserved.

Ingredients

  • 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for taste
  • 1 cup hot 2% milk
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

Yield

Serves: 4 to 6

Preparation

Put the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large saucepan and cover with cold water, 1 inch over the top of the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until fork tender. Drain the potatoes, then transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot milk over the potatoes and whip with an electric mixer for 2½ minutes, adding butter a few pieces at a time and scraping down the sides when needed. Season with additional salt, about 1 teaspoon, if desired, and serve.