Anne Morgan Delia Smith’s mashed potatoes recipe is her Perfect Mashed Potato, made with butter, milk and a spoonful of crème fraîche, enough for 4. You steam the potatoes, dry them under a tea cloth, then whisk them until light. Allow about 40 minutes from peeling to serving.
Delia names it her standard all-time mashed potato recipe in How to Cook Book One (1998). It is a revised version of the Fluffy Mashed Potatoes in her Winter Collection.
Steaming is the change she made. Then the tea cloth soaks up some of the steam, so the butter and milk go into dry, floury potato.
Her garlic and mustard versions are in the FAQs below, made the same way. For a dinner party, try her celeriac and potato mash.
Delia Smith’s Mashed Potatoes
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes30
minutes305
kcalSteamed potatoes whipped with butter, whole milk and crème fraîche into a smooth, fluffy mash.
Ingredients
- For the mash:
900g (2lb) Desirée or King Edward potatoes
1 dessertspoon salt
50g (2oz) butter
4 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons crème fraîche
salt and freshly milled black pepper
a steamer and an electric hand whisk
Directions
- Peel: Pare off the potato skins as thinly as possible with a potato peeler. Cut the potatoes into even-sized chunks, not too small, quartering large ones and halving small ones.
- Steam: Put the chunks in a steamer over a large pan of boiling water and sprinkle the salt over them. Cover with a lid and steam them for 20 to 25 minutes, until absolutely tender.
- Test: Pierce the thickest part with a skewer. It should not be hard in the centre, because slightly underdone potatoes give lumps.
- Dry: Take the potatoes out of the steamer, drain off the water and put them back in the saucepan. Cover them with a clean tea cloth for about 4 minutes, so it absorbs some of the steam.
- Whisk: Add the butter, milk and crème fraîche. Start the electric whisk on a slow speed to break the potatoes up. Then turn it to high and whip them to a smooth, fluffy mash.
- Season: Taste, and season with salt and pepper if they need it.
Notes
- For low-fat mash, Delia uses 150g Quark and 2 to 3 tablespoons of semi-skimmed milk instead of the butter, milk and cream.
FAQs
Which potatoes are best for mashing?
Delia uses Desirée or King Edward potatoes, in this recipe and in her Winter Collection mash too. Both are sold in most UK supermarkets.
Cut them into even-sized chunks, so they all cook at the same speed, my own tip. Any spare mash can go into her mashed potato chocolate cake.
Why are my mashed potatoes lumpy?
They were most likely slightly underdone. Delia warns that undercooked potatoes give lumps, so steam them until a skewer goes into the thickest part with no hard centre.
The tea cloth step matters too, because it soaks up steam before the butter goes in.
Why use an electric hand whisk?
It whips the potatoes light very quickly. Begin slowly to break them up, then turn the speed to high.
In her Winter Collection she says grand chefs make mash complicated, but “if you have an electric hand whisk it really couldn’t be easier”.
Can I boil the potatoes instead of steaming?
Yes, that is how she made them in her Winter Collection. Cover the chunks with boiling water, add 1 dessertspoon of salt and simmer them gently with a lid on for about 25 minutes.
Drain them and leave them under a tea towel for about 5 minutes. Then finish them with the electric whisk, just as above.
How do I make garlic mashed potatoes?
Make her Mashed Potato with Garlic-infused Olive Oil from the Winter Collection, for 4. Put 3 fat garlic cloves, halved lengthways, in a small pan with 8 tablespoons of the best extra virgin olive oil.
Leave them over the gentlest heat possible for 1 hour, so the garlic becomes really soft. Cook 900g potatoes as above, then whisk in half the garlic and oil on a low speed.
When that has gone in, add the rest and whisk until smooth, seasoning well with salt and pepper.
How do I make mustard mash?
Try her Mashed Potato with Three Mustards from the same book, for 4. Mix 1½ tablespoons grain mustard, 2 tablespoons American mustard and 1 tablespoon hot mustard powder with 2 rounded tablespoons crème fraîche.
Steam the potatoes as above and let them stand under the cloth for 4 minutes. Add the mustard mixture, 50g butter and black pepper, then whisk, adding 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk or single cream.
She says it goes perfectly with gammon steaks, bangers and a rich beef casserole.
