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["Boil 1 gallon of water in a 2 gallon cooking pot, covered.", "Do not add salt.", "Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and then cut each in half.", "Rinse them and drop them into a bowl of cold tap water.", "(You should be using nice-sized potatoes, large enough to bake -- sized between medium and large).", "When the water begins a good rolling boil, drain the potatoes from the cool water and drop them into the pot.", "Cover the pot until it begins to re-boil, then remove the lid and reduce the heat until the potatoes are cooking at a low boil, uncovered.", "When the potatoes are ""fork-tender,"" drain them in a colander and return them to the pot (no heat).", "Cut in the two sticks of butter, add the salt and pepper, and then begin mashing the potatoes with a hand masher.", "(Do not use a hand mixer -- this generates ""whipped"" potatoes which can be a bit gluey).", "When the potatoes are pretty well mashed, begin adding the milk, 1/4 cup at a time, and stir until the desired consistency is achieved.", "You may not end up using the entire cup, or, you may end up using a bit more -- potato moisture varies widely.", "If you get them too thin, just re-warm them over very low heat, stirring frequently, uncovered, until they stiffen back up.", "Serve hot.", "NOTE: As you choose, you can modify these mashed potatoes by adding sour cream, garlic salt (not too much!", "), Parmesan cheese, etc.", "Honestly, I like the basic recipe, with no additions, the best."]
