How To Recreate Cracker Barrel-Style Mashed Potatoes At Home

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When you think about comfort food, mashed potatoes probably spring to mind. In its best iteration, the starchy side is warm, fluffy, and laced with just enough butter or margarine to make each mouthful luscious and creamy. Paired with savory gravy, the dish is irresistible. To learn how to make the most satisfying mashed potatoes in your very own kitchen, Chowhound spoke with Thomas Yun, vice president of menu strategy and innovation at Cracker Barrel. The country-themed restaurant chain, named for the empty soda cracker barrels that were once used as tables at roadside trading posts, has become synonymous with American comfort food, including classic and crowd-pleasing staples like mashed potatoes. So whether you're simply a fan of the side wherever it's served or particularly fond of Cracker Barrel's take on it, you'll want these tips.

Yun peeled back the curtain to exclusively share exactly what goes into the chain's famous mashed potatoes. As it turns out, they are surprisingly straightforward to make and require very few ingredients. "We use russet potatoes, chosen for their texture and flavor, in our scratch-made mashed potatoes," Yun shared. "Plus, the skins from the russet potatoes add a little extra texture to each batch, as well." The freshly cooked potatoes are mashed with salt and pepper, and at that point, the recipe is almost complete. "We then add a little warm margarine for a little boost of flavor and to smooth out the texture — and that's it," Yun said. Comfort does not have to mean complicated, especially if you want to recreate Cracker Barrel's spuds at home.

Part of the magic behind Cracker Barrel's mashed potatoes and gravy is that they're made from scratch at each of its locations. Thomas Yun advises home cooks not to overthink the process. The potatoes are doing the hard work here and you are just elevating the goodness that's already there. "And don't mash too much — keep in a few skins to add an extra layer of texture, as well," he emphasized. Other small steps will also help you achieve peak mashed potato enjoyment, like starting with cold water, boiling the potatoes with their skins on, and mashing them while they are hot. Kicking off with cold water ensures the potatoes cook evenly as the water heats, while leaving the skin on the potatoes prevents them from absorbing too much moisture and making the mash too wet. And by working with them while they're still hot, you can achieve the smoothest consistency.

To take your mashed spuds to the next level, don't forget the gravy. While Yun didn't spill the beans on how to prepare them, Cracker Barrel offers two kinds: a brown, broth-based version and sawmill, a white gravy made with milk and cream. For the best sawmill gravy, cook your sausage in a cast iron pan first, then use some of the drippings to make your roux base. Ideally, you want to achieve a light brown roux, heated enough to cook the flour through but not so much that you scorch it. To make restaurant-worthy lump-free gravy at home, we recommend using Gold Medal Wondra Quick Mixing Flour. Armed with these tips, your crew may just think you grabbed Cracker Barrel to go.