Memo Anita's Mashed Potatoes

Growing up in south Texas we often ate rice as a side dish, but my Memo Anita often served her roasted pork roast with mashed potatoes. Her chili powder coated roast rendered a rich reddish-orange gravy that she served over the creamiest bed of mashed potatoes. The secret to these velvety potatoes includes flavoring the water when you boil the potatoes. An equally important tip is to mash your butter into the potatoes before adding your milk. If you add the milk before the butter it will create gluey mashed potatoes. This Thanksgiving-worthy dish is a great make-ahead recipe with a few simple tips.  Make the mashed potatoes up to 2 days ahead and store in the refrigerator. Add a splash of milk and reheat slowly on a cook top or in the oven to transform refrigerated mashed potatoes into velvety mashed potatoes that taste as if they were freshly prepared. Let me know how you like to serve your mashed potatoes at @y_delicacies.

Memo Anita’s Mashed Potatoes

Yvette Jemison YDelicacies.com 

4 lbs. Russet potatoes, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and each half cut into quarters

3 Tablespoons  salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

14 cups cold water

2 stick butter, sliced 

1 1/4 cups whole milk, heated

1. Place the potatoes, salt and garlic powder in a large pot and cover with 1-2 inches of cold water, about 14 cups water.  Turn on heat to medium-high and stir to dissolve salt. 

2.  Bring to a gentle boil and reduce to a simmer.  Give it a quick stir and simmer until potatoes are tender and a fork easily inserts into the potatoes,15-20 minutes.  

3. Drain the potatoes, but do not rinse.  

4. Place the drained potatoes back in the pot and toss with the sliced butter. 

5. Using a hand held mixer, beat the potatoes until the butter is melted and the potatoes are coarsely blended.

6. While beating on medium-low speed, add the heated milk and beat until milk is incorporated and potatoes are light and whipped. Serve garnish with a few pats of butter on top.