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1
Preliminary cooking.
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2
You may bake or steam the potatoes whole before mashing them, or boil them in pieces as suggested here.
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3
Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into quarters.
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4
Set in a saucepan with lightly salted water to cover (l 1/2 teaspoons salt per quart of water).
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5
Bring to the boil, cover loosely, and boil 10 to 15 minutes or longer, until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.
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6
Cut a piece in half and eat a bit to be sure they are just done; undercooked potatoes will not mash properly.
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7
Drain the water out of the pan (you may wish to save it for soup making); toss the potatoes over moderate heat for a moment, until they begin to film the pan; this is to evaporate excess moisture.
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8
Mashing.
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9
While still warm, either put the potatoes through a ricer (my preference) and return to the pan, or place in the large bowl of your electric mixer and, using the wire whip attachment and moderate speed; puree them with 1/4 cup of the milk and/or cream.
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10
Seasoning.
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11
Beat in driblets of hot milk and/or cream, alternating with 1/2 tablespoons of buttercareful not to make them too soft.
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12
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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13
The sooner you can serve them, the better.
