Mashed Potatoes For One
A single serving of creamy mashed potatoes made by cooking Yukon Gold potatoes in milk and cream with garlic, then mashed with butter and stone-ground mustard. Ready in under 30 minutes.
Servings: 1 serving
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium yukon gold potatoes -quartered and unpeeled
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic -peeled and smashed
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into quarters and place them in a small saucepan. Add the milk, cream, garlic, and coriander. The potatoes should be almost fully covered; add a little more milk or cream if needed.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and a knife slides through easily.
- Set a colander over a bowl and drain the potatoes, reserving the garlic-infused cream in the bowl.
- Return the potatoes to the saucepan. Pour a small amount of the reserved cream over the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or immersion blender until mostly smooth.
- Stir in the butter, olive oil, and stone-ground mustard. Add more reserved cream, as needed, until the mashed potatoes reach your preferred consistency.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Video
Notes
Use Two Medium Potatoes: Two medium Yukon Gold potatoes is the right amount for one generous single serving of mashed potatoes. One potato won’t give you enough volume to mash properly, and the cooking liquid ratio won’t work as well.
Cut the Potatoes Evenly: Uneven pieces don’t cook at the same rate. By the time the larger pieces are tender, the smaller ones have already started to fall apart and absorb too much liquid. Aim for quarters of roughly the same size.
Keep the Heat at Medium-High: High heat can scorch the milk and cream before the potatoes are fully cooked. Medium-high gives you a steady, gentle boil that cooks the potatoes through without burning the bottom of the pan.
Mash While Hot: Cold potatoes release more starch when mashed, which turns them dense and gluey. Mash them straight from the pan while they’re still steaming for the smoothest result.
Add the Cooking Liquid Gradually: Pour the reserved liquid back in a little at a time. Every potato absorbs differently depending on size and starch content, so the amount you need will vary. Add too much at once and the potatoes become soupy.
Don’t Overmix: Once the potatoes are smooth, stop. Overworking them breaks down the starch granules and creates a paste rather than a mash.
If doubling the recipe, use 3-quart pot.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 37g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 465mg | Potassium: 1571mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2117IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 3mg
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