Forget Boiling Spuds: Make Mashed Potatoes This Way For Better Flavor And Texture

Mashed potatoes sit right up there with iconic sides like macaroni and cheese and an all-American green bean casserole. For many, however, making mashed potatoes is a matter of routine: peel, boil, drain, mash, mix with butter, salt, cream, and serve. But what if there was a better way? Well, there is, and it doesn't involve boiling the potatoes. Rather than plopping your spuds into a pot of water, bake them. This is really a quite simple change. Just bake the potatoes, then cool slightly, scoop them into your bowl, and mash. You can blend in your preferred ingredients (a ton of garlic if you're a Julia Child devotee) and serve.

Not only does this method help save stove space when cooking, but it will also bring you a richer, more potato-ey flavor with a hint of nuttiness. Since the potatoes aren't boiled, they won't retain water, making your mash more light and less runny. You could bake your potatoes ahead of time to make dinner prep more streamlined, but you're more likely to get a smoother result if you work whilst your spuds are still hot.

Now, there is one hang-up home cooks tend to have when trying this method. Removing the skin once the potatoes are done baking can be a bit tedious. Peeling is impossible, and the other option is to scoop the flesh out of the skin with a spoon but that can leave a lot of wasted flesh inside. Luckily, Food Network's Alex Guarnaschelli (who's also a proponent of baking instead of boiling potatoes for mash) has just the thing to get make the process easier. She slices her baked potatoes in half and simply runs the cut side down through a fine wire strainer till all the flesh is out. It quickly and easily separates the skin from the rest of the potato. 

If you're mashing hot baked potatoes, be sure to use oven gloves to press your spuds through. Conversely, if you're using cooled potatoes that were baked in advance, transfer them to a pot on the stove after ricing and heat as you add in your butter, milk (or cream), and other mix ins (mayonnaise makes an unexpected creamy addition for a more flavorful mash). And as for those leftover potato peels, you can turn them into a crispy snack in their own right. Fill with cheese and toppings for a quick potato skin snack, or cut into small pieces, oil up, salt, and bake or air fry into crispy treats.