Do you ever find yourself stuck in a dinner rut? I think sometimes when I am trying to create new recipes for the blog or be really creative with too many things at once, I get a little burned out. With my oldest 3 children off from school the past 2 weeks for Spring Break, I found myself not able to focus. I was trying to do a lot of fun activities with them and really enjoy all of the extra time were were spending together. The weather didn’t cooperate, so I guess being in the house and constantly trying to please everyone left my mind completely blank when it got to the end of the day and it was time to make dinner. I decided that dinner those 2 weeks didn’t have to be something extraordinary and that I didn’t have to be “supermom”. I ended up making classic, good, old fashioned basic recipes most of the evenings those 2 weeks and ended up really enjoying those comforting meals with my family and without any stress.
These buttery and fluffy Homestyle Mashed Potatoes are simple and delicious. They take very little time to prepare and feed a large family like my own. Fresh Idaho Russet Potatoes are the star of this recipe and are the perfect side dish for any classic, comforting entree from meatloaf to baked chicken. I have found that these mashed potatoes reheat very well, and I have even made them ahead of time on occasion. If you need some simplicity brought back into your kitchen, give these mashed potatoes a try! I promise your family will love them!
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. fresh Idaho Russet Potatoes
- 8 Tbsp. salted butter
- 3/4 to 1 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 Tbsp. sea salt to season if desired
Instructions
- Peel, halve and quarter your potatoes.
- Rinse well.
- Place potatoes in a large stock pot and fill with cold water until the water covers the potatoes and is about a few inches higher.
- Add a tsp. salt to the water.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil and then simmer until they are tender enough to be pierced with a fork, about 35 minutes or so.
- Drain the potatoes and return to the pot.
- Turn the heat on medium and give the potatoes a good stir- this helps to "burn up" any extra moisture and keep the pan warm.
- Add the butter and half of the milk.
- Turn off the heat.
- With a hand held mixer, whip the potatoes and slowly add the rest of the milk until you get a nice fluffy consistency.
- You can always add a few more splashes of milk if desired.
- I do not mash the potatoes first, the mixer does all of the work for me and leaves tiny little bits of potato in the mashed potatoes- which my family loves. If you like your potatoes a little smoother, simply mash them first and then proceed to the hand held mixing part 🙂
- Taste the potatoes and add a tad bit more salt if needed.
- Start off small if you are adding salt though, because once it's in there, you can't take it out! You can always add more if needed.
- Spoon into your favorite dish and serve warm.
- Serves 8 to 10 generously.
*Linking up at:
Mostly Homemade Mom, This Silly Girl’s Life, A Place Of My Taste, Buns In My Oven, Sweet Bella Roos, Simply Gloria
Shannon, funny you mention a dinner rut… because I’ve been in one for a long time, it seems. Love these potatoes! I’ve actually got a bag of the russets in the pantry and going to pair these up with the beef I’ve got cooking away in the crock pot. Thank you for saving my brain and giving me this easy potato recipe to make for dinner!
Gloria @ Simply Gloria recently posted…Baked Corn Tortillas Cheese Dogs
Thanks Gloria! You know, I have had the hardest time getting back on track with things lately. I don’t know if it’s the weather or what?! I hope you like the potatoes:) I can’t wait to make those Baked Corn Tortilla Cheese Dogs of yours this weekend!!
My family usually prefers classic homestyle foods. I fact, my husband asked me this week why I like to add cumin to everything. Maybe I should just keep a salt shaker full of taco seasoning next to my plate….
Julia recently posted…Lightened Up Mexican Lasagna
Hi Julia! I love all sorts of different flavors too, but it’s the classics that my family loves. I can’t wait to try your lightened up Mexican Lasagna! It sounds wonderful:)
Your potatoes look delicious! Sometimes, when I have a wild hair, instead of adding plain salt, I will add garlic salt to my potatoes. It gives them just a bit of zip. My favorite, however, is to make leftover mashed potatoes into patties and then frying them to a golden brown for breakfast! Yum!
Vickie recently posted…Canning Beef & Recipes
Vickie- that sounds like a wonderful breakfast idea! Yum! I am definitely going to give that a try sometime! I love garlic in my potatoes too:)