Step 1

Peel the potatoes (optional – I’ve grown to like peeled potatoes best! Peeling also makes it easier to use a ricer or food mill if you like)

Step 2

Cut potatoes into evenly sized, 2.5″ ish pieces – it usually works best to cut large potatoes into quarters and smaller potatoes in half.

Step 3

Place potato pieces in a pot or large saucepan and cover with COLD water (more on why I do this here!) I find 6-8 cups of water is usually plenty to cover the potatoes.

Step 4

At this point, you can move directly to Step 2 and cook the potatoes, or you can cover the potatoes and set the pot aside for a few hours until you’re ready to cook. This is a great make-ahead trick – on Thanksgiving, I always cut my potatoes first thing in the morning, then cover them with water and set them aside until I’m ready to cook them. The cold water keeps the potatoes from browning so they’re ready to go whenever you are.

Step 5

Add 1 Tablespoon of Kosher salt to the water and potatoes. No need to stir – just throw it in there!

Step 6

Cover potatoes and place the pot on a burner over medium heat. If you’re using a glass or electric stove (or if you just want to speed the process a bit) you may want to bump the heat up to medium-high.

Step 7

Let potatoes cook until they reach a low boil, about 25-30 minutes. By the time the water boils, the potatoes are usually pretty close to being done. To check doneness, pierce potatoes with a fork: if the fork slides easily through the potato, they’re done. If they aren’t yet soft, cook 3-4 more minutes and then test again.

Step 8

When potatoes are cooked through, drain them and set aside. Return the empty pot to the stove and proceed to Step 3.

Step 9

Return the empty potato pot to the stove over low heat.

Step 10

Add butter, half and half, salt, and pepper to pot and bring to a low simmer. Give everything a stir to bring it together, then turn off the heat.

Step 11

Return potatoes to pot and mash with your favorite method (see a full breakdown and comparison of mashing techniques here!) For this recipe, I used a traditional potato masher and worked through the potatoes in a clockwise circle, trying to only mash each area of the pot once or twice. Once the potatoes are mashed, use a spoon or spatula to gently fold everything together. The less you process the potatoes, the better texture you’ll have!

Step 12

Taste the potatoes and add seasoning as necessary, then move on to Step 4!

Step 13

Spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl. If you’d like to make swirls (like we did for these pictures!) use the back of a large spoon to apply light pressure and “draw” a spiral, starting from the very center and working your way outwards.

Step 14

Drizzle melted butter over potatoes and top with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, a few turns of cracked black pepper, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Serve immediately.