Whatever happened to chunky mashed potatoes? There’s a lot of hype for the silky, nearly pudding-like variety of mash—which seem to be the only kind served at restaurants these days—but for me, nothing beats a heaping pile of fluffy smashed potatoes studded with knobbly bits of soft, uncrushed tuber.
And if you too are a supporter of chunky mashed potatoes, you can use your stand mixer to get the best consistency.
Stand mixer versus hand-mashed potatoes
There is nothing wrong with hand-mashing potatoes, but I’d like to bring stand mixer mashing to your attention simply because after I tried it, I couldn’t help but appreciate the difference in consistency. I hadn’t even expected to feel the difference on my palate—I was only testing out the method to see if it served a practical purpose.
Surprisingly, just by scooping a dollop into a bowl, I could feel that the texture was lighter than when I hand-mash potatoes in a pot. (And I didn’t even use a whisk attachment.) I then ate said bowl of spuds, and experienced an airiness that didn’t fade even after it cooled down. Whenever I mash by hand, the potatoes are soft but still dense, and they sit heavily. Not these—this batch was almost whipped, with more consistently sized bits of unmashed potato. (Maybe this is a me-thing, but if I hand mash potatoes for their chunkiness, I usually wind up with a few embarrassingly large pieces that somehow make it through my masher.)
As far as those practical purposes are concerned, mashing with a stand mixer is great if you need to multitask with multiple dishes, quickly free up the stove after boiling, or if you have limited strength or mobility.
Regardless of your reasons, here’s how I do it.
How to make mashed potatoes with a stand mixer
1. Boil or steam your spuds
When making mashed, I prefer to steam my potato pieces because it’s faster, but you can stick to boiling if you like. (Steaming only takes about 15 minutes because you only need to boil a half-inch of water rather than a gallon.) The type of potato is also up to you, but I use russets for their high starch content, which can yield a more fluffy mash.
2. Toss in the hot taters and flavoring ingredients
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Once your potatoes are fork-tender, carefully (don’t burn yourself) toss them into the bowl of the stand mixer. Don’t wait for them to cool down; they should still be piping hot. As America’s Test Kitchen explains in their baked potato post , breaking open the potato (in our case, the potato hunks) while hot allows more steam to escape, leading to a fluffier, lighter texture. Add in your favorite ingredients, a few knobs of butter, some salt, pepper, and chives if you’re into that. Don’t add your liquid ingredient yet.
3. Mash
Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann
Attach a paddle attachment to the stand mixer and turn the machine on the lowest speed. Allow the mixer to do the work for about three to five minutes. You’re looking for a uniform texture, and for the butter to be fully incorporated. Stop the machine if you have to so you can get a better look at how the potatoes are breaking down.
4. Add the liquid
During those three minutes, pour your measurement of liquid (whether it’s milk, cream, or a combination of the two) into a microwave-safe measuring cup. Heat it until steaming. Keeping the mixer on the lowest speed, slowly pour the liquid into the mashed potatoes. Once the liquid has been incorporated, bump the speed up one or two notches and let it mash for another 20 seconds or until you like the texture. Taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Top your taters with a swirl of gravy and enjoy the fluffiest chunky mashed potatoes you’ve ever experienced.
