Thanksgiving Hack: You’ve Been Making Mashed Potatoes Wrong

There's a very high possibility that you have been making mashed potatoes wrong this whole time.

Thanksgiving is a week away. If you're in charge of making mashed potatoes this year, you might be thinking that you've got it all figured out. Let's be honest, for the majority of folks, mashed potatoes are fairly simple to make. Just boil the potatoes, smash them up, add salt, pepper, milk, and butter, and there you go. However, what if I told you that you've been making mashed potatoes wrong? There's one simple hack that will make for a huge upgrade in flavor.

How to Make the Best Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving

There's a debate in my household: do you leave the skin on or off when making mashed potatoes. I prefer them off, but however you prefer your mashed potatoes, there's one key hack that you should know (if you don't by now) that will elevate those mashed potatoes. A few years ago, I learned that you're basically wasting your time boiling your potatoes in water, thanks to TikTok. Now, TikTok trends aren't always correct. However, in this case, it was 100% right. Here's how you should be making them.

First off, the key to making the perfect consistency of fluffy mashed potatoes is by using half russet and half Yukon Gold potatoes. Trust me. Many well-known chefs stand by that. However, if you don't have both, that's fine too. Here's the part that you have most likely been doing wrong. Instead of boiling the potatoes in water, you really need to boil them in chicken stock. You can use beef stock instead, depending on what type of meat you're serving. When you make your mashed potatoes like this, they are supposed to come out creamier and more flavorful than if you just boil them in water.

After that, you just do what you normally would when making mashed potatoes by adding the butter, milk (or cream), and spices while mashing them. Now, I have replaced milk with sour cream in the past, and it turned out very well. I also like to use garlic salt in my mashed potatoes for a little extra zing.

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At the end of the day, though, there is no shortage of ways in which you can make some amazing mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving, or any time of the year, for that matter. In fact, you can see some more secrets to making great mashed potatoes by clicking here. The main takeaway here is this: no matter how you season them, swapping the water with chicken stock is a game-changer when making mashed potatoes. Give it a try and let me know what you think.