My Everyday Mashed Potatoes

Dinner | British

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 4

This is the mash I make 90% of the time. My Wednesday-night go-to, not the special-occasion version with baked potatoes and an hour of cook time. In this version, we'll boil the potatoes, dry them out properly, and finish with milk and butter infused with rosemary and garlic. It takes 30 minutes start to finish and goes with everything from bangers and mash to a Sunday roast to a stew. If you’ve got time and want the fluffier, more luxurious version, check out my pub mash.

Make it Champ Mash

My favourite way to make this mash is actually an Irish style called Champ Mash where they add spring onions at the end for added texture and flavour. All you have to do is finely dice 2 spring onions. Fold most of the whites and pale green parts through the mash and save a small handful of the dark green tops for garnish on top. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil instead of (or as well as) the butter. It’s brilliant with bangers.

Ingredient Notes

Desiree potatoes: A classic all-rounder you’ll find in most Australian supermarkets and grocers. Desiree gives you the best of both worlds: the flavour of a waxy potato and the creaminess of a starchy variety, which is why they work so well for an everyday mash. Yukon gold or Dutch cream are great swaps.

Whole milk: Full fat gives you the richest, most flavourful mash, but skim works for a lighter weeknight version. The fat in the milk is what carries the rosemary and garlic flavour from the infusion into the potato. If you go skim, the mash will still be tasty, just a touch less rich.

Spring onions: Optional but my go-to finish for this mash. Finely dice the whites and pale green parts to fold through, and save the dark green tops thinly sliced for the garnish on top. This is what turns a basic mash into a champ mash, and it pairs beautifully with bangers.

Equipment

Vegetable peeler
Chef’s knife
Chopping board
Medium pot (for boiling the potatoes)
Small pot (for the infusion)
Colander
Potato masher
Wooden spoon

Ingredients

6 Desiree potatoes (King Edward, yukon gold and any other all rounder will work)
300ml full cream milk
1 sprig of rosemary
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
50g (2 oz) butter
salt, for seasoning
2 spring onions (optional)
2 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Directions

Peel the potatoes, then slice in half, all the same size. You want them sliced fairly chunky, not too small. Place the potatoes into a medium pot with cold water. Season with salt and cook over high heat for 25-30 minutes until fork tender.
Meanwhile infuse the milk by pouring the milk into a small pot, along with the rosemary, lightly crushed garlic cloves, a pinch of salt and the butter. Place over a very low heat while the potatoes are cooking.
Once the potatoes have cooked, strain them through a colander. Place the colander over the pot you used to cook the potatoes. Place the pot back on the stove on medium heat to allow the potatoes to fully steam off and dry out.
Ensure the pot is dry, before returning the cooked potatoes back into the pot.
Mash the potatoes before adding the infused milk, in two or three goes. Incorporate the milk fully each time before adding more.
Check the seasoning and add to a bowl and serve.
Turn into Champ Mash
If you feel like turning this into a champ mash, finely dice the spring onions, reserve a few sliced green tops and fold the rest through the mash. Top with a generous drizzle of olive oil and the remaining spring onion.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Dry the potatoes properly

After draining the potatoes, put the colander back over the empty pot on medium heat for 5 minutes so any extra water steams off. Then mash the potatoes dry before any milk goes in. This drives off the last of the moisture so the potato can soak up the flavoured milk instead of being already saturated with water. Water is the enemy of good mash.

Never use a blender or food processor

Mash with a masher or pass through a ricer. Never reach for a stick blender, food processor or stand mixer. The high-speed blades break down the starch cells in the potato and turn the mash into a stretchy, gluey paste. There’s no way back once you’ve done it.

Storage

Cool the mash to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. It keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, tip it into a saucepan over low heat with a splash of milk and stir gently with a spatula until smooth and warm through. The mash also freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating the same way.

FAQs

What’s the difference between this mash and pub mash? This is the everyday version. Boil the potatoes, finish quickly with infused milk, done in 30 minutes. Pub mash is the special-occasion version where the potatoes are baked over salt for over an hour for a fluffier, drier base, then finished with a longer infusion. Both are great. Use this one when you want mash with dinner tonight, use pub mash when you’ve got the time and want to impress.

What’s the right milk-to-potato ratio? A useful rule of thumb is 250 to 300ml of liquid per 1kg of potatoes. This recipe uses 6 Desiree potatoes (around 1kg) with 300ml of milk, which gives a smooth, scoopable mash. Drop the milk to 250ml for a drier mash, push to 350ml for a looser, creamier one.

Can I use skim milk to lighten it up? Yes. If you don’t fancy 2000 calories of mash on a Wednesday night, swap to skim milk and drop the butter to 25g. You’ll still get a good mash, just with less richness. The garlic and rosemary infusion does its job either way.

Can I make it dairy free? Yes, swap the milk for unsweetened oat milk and the butter for a plant-based alternative or olive oil. Oat milk has the best body for mash out of the dairy-free options. The texture is slightly different but it works.

Can I make this ahead? Yes, it’ll sit happily in the fridge for a day before serving. Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of extra milk to bring it back to the right consistency. Useful for a roast dinner when you’re juggling several things.