I have seen her gag when she has taken a bite of potatoes that had a little lump in them. Making whipped potatoes isn't really hard, it just takes a little extra attention. Making them to get my Mom's final approval did take me awhile but she is over the top fussy about her potatoes. I accepted that I couldn't make them the way she loved them and then a miracle happened and I started getting them right.
I will share with you a few things to remember about making Whipped Potatoes turn out:
First, this is the biggest one...your potato chunks need to be VERY similar in size. You want your potatoes to boil evenly.
Second, make sure there is enough room in the pan to have at least an inch of water over the top of the potatoes and make sure you have enough salt in the water.
Third, you want to drain them well.
Fourth, you'll be using a hand mixer. You will whip but not over whip.
If you boil too long or whip too long, you get a texture you will never forget. A texture that makes me gag.
I don't intend to scare you, I just want to point out that there are a few things to pay attention to. And, probably the worst thing that will happen is you'll have a few lumps and if you're not my Mom...you'll be ok with that and get it next time.
Ok, so we're making 4 servings of potatoes and this is what you'll need:
5 potatoes peeled, washed and cut into equal size chunks
Put in a pot (I used my 4 qt sauce pot) big enough for you to have an inch of COLD water over the potatoes. Add 1 T table salt. Put the potatoes on the stove, high heat. Once the water starts to boil, it should take about 10-12 minutes.
Test with a fork. The fork should go in easily, if the potato falls apart, you've boiled too long (we'll address that later), if it offers resistance, meaning you have a hard time getting that potato off the fork, you need to boil another minute or two.
Drain your potatoes well. That means empty the pot into a strainer, make sure all the water is out of the pot and put the potatoes back in the pot.
Add 3 T Butter and whip your potatoes around the pan for about 30 to 45 seconds. You want to basically get all the lumps out at this stage of the game and if you've cooked them long enough, 45 seconds is plenty of time if you're moving your mixer around. If you've OVER cooked your potatoes you do NOT want to mix any longer than 30 seconds. The longer you whip the more gluten that comes out and you're gonna end up with a glue texture if you over whip.
"I" add about 1/3 C of Sour Cream and teaspoon of garlic powder (these two are optional, my Mom doesn't add these or you can also throw some cream cheese in here too) and about 1/4 C of milk and mix until just blended.
If you want them a bit creamier, add a little more milk but add a little at a time, you don't want soupy potatoes. If you've over cooked, you'll need less milk because the potatoes absorbed some of the water.
If you ended up with a couple of lumps...watch the size of your potatoes next time. Equal size pieces are the key or as close to equal as you can do. If the pieces aren't equal, the potatoes cook at differently and that's how you end up with lumps.
Equal size chunks are the key to creamy whipped potatoes
Make sure there is at least an inch of cold water above your potatoes. You also want to make sure that your water has enough salt. I used a T for this size pot
Nice and creamy
Best kind of left overs...I packaged up a meal for lunch..
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