How to make Simple Mashed Potato

A popular British invention, this has now become a regular component of my meals several evenings a week. It’s such a quick and simple thing to make and fills me up quite well too. I used to be really bad at making mash and because one of my housemates last year was Irish, I was reluctant to keep trying to avoid further embarrassment. She is such a natural with potatoes and so effortless with a potato peeler too! I am so clumsy with cooking utensils. The first few times I made mash I used the potato peeler the wrong way round and wondered why it was so difficult.  I blamed the potato peeler! The first few times I made mas I either kept undercooking the potatoes or didn’t mash it for long enough and as a result there were so many lumps in it.

This year I’ve tried several more times and I’ve gotten much better at it and I’ve also learned how to use a potato peeler too. Mash is also quite cheap to make. I always buy a cheap 2.5kg Tesco everyday value bag which is less than £1. It lasts me for weeks.

Here’s how I make mash:

1.       Fill half a large pan full of water and allow to boil on medium heat

2.       Peel 2 medium sized potatoes using a potato peeler

3.       Using a knife, chop the potatoes into thin slices – this increases the surface area of the potato and allows it to soften quicker when boiled

4.       Add the sliced potato to the boiling water

5.       Allow the potatoes to simmer gently in the water for about 20/25 minutes

6.       Assess the softness of the potato by seeing how easy it is to break it using a fork. If it breaks easily, it’s soft enough to mash

7.       Drain the water from the pan

8.       Using a fork crush the potato and then slide your fork through the mixture to remove lumps and smoothen the texture

9.       Add 3 tablespoons of milk

10.   Add 2 teaspoons of butter

11.   Keep sliding the fork through the mixture until the mixture appears smooth, light and fluffy and there are no lumps visible. This should take 5-10 minutes maximum

12.   The mash is ready to plate and serve.

If you want to jazz your mash up a bit, you can grate some cheese over the mash at the end.

Alternatively you can grate the cheese into the mixture while mashing for a stronger flavour. Enjoy!