THE Milk-Simmered Mashed Potatoes

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

2½ cups whole milk, plus more as needed

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 tablespoons salted butter, cut into 4 pieces

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium, then reduce to low and cook, uncovered and stirring often, until the potatoes are beginning to fall apart and most of the milk has been absorbed, 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter and, using a potato masher, mash the potatoes into an almost-smooth puree. If desired, thin with additional milk. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Notes

177 Milk Street: These simple mashed potatoes are silky-smooth and rich, no heavy cream required. To achieve this, we simmer the potatoes in milk, allowing them to absorb the dairy’s flavor while retaining their starch, as opposed to washing it away with boiling water. We tested the technique with russets but found their texture too mealy. Yukon Golds, on the other hand, had the perfect amount of starch, yielding buttery mashed potatoes with a naturally creamy texture.

Tip: Don’t use low-fat milk; the simmering can cause it to break. Also, don’t rinse or soak the potatoes in water once they’re cut. Doing so will wash off the starch, which is crucial for their creamy texture.