Mashed potatoes 101

Ingredients

Potatoes
Salt
Butter
Pepper
Milk

Directions

Peel potatoes. It is easy to adjust to how many people you are feeding and how much they like potatoes. I usually follow the guideline of using one potato per person and I add two extra just to be safe. This is for medium to large potatoes; if you have small potatoes, then you would probably need to adjust to two per person.

Wash potatoes and cut into cubes. The smaller the potatoes, the faster they will cook. Put cut potatoes into large pot, add 1/2 tsp. salt and cover with water. Put on medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes for approximately 30 minutes and check with fork. When you can easily cut through the potato, they are ready to be mashed.

Strain potatoes and put back in large pan. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a potato masher and add a couple of tablespoons of milk to make creamy. (If you don't have a potato masher, use your mixer and beat over medium speed until the creaminess you desire is achieved.) Depending on your preferred consistency, use either a heavy spoon or an electric mixer to finish mashing your potatoes. You may need to add additional milk as well.

After this, you can add a variety of different ingredients such as caramelized onions or roasted garlic.