Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Thank you SO much to all the dear friends who joined the Nibbles and Novels party yesterday! I actually had entries!! Wahoo!! I'm going to keep it going, so save up a post or two for December!

It's been a completely insane week, so I'm happy to have a very simple recipe today! I'm sure many of you already have a go-to mashed potatoes recipe, but a few of you may not! Plus, they go perfectly with my menu this week, so why not!

This is one of the few recipes that I can give my Dad credit for. He is the Mashed Potato Master of the Family, and he taught me well. Every Thanksgiving, Dad's potatoes doused with Mom's perfect gravy was the highlight of my meal. Mmmm, counting down the days... I've never measured before, so it was fun to try and guesstimate, so I could give you wonderful readers nice, round, numbers. Leave the guesswork to me!

Perfect Mashed Potatoes
Printable Recipe

2 1/2-3 lbs potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and sliced into 1/2 inch disks (I prefer red potatoes, but russets and Yukon Golds are good too!)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 stick of butter, cut into chunks (1/2 cup)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2-1 tsp black pepper (depending on your taste!)

A note on potato selection: Russets will give you the fluffiest mashed potatoes, Reds are a bit smoother and thicker, and Yukon Golds are between the two, and a bit buttery.

Place the potatoes in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and boil 20-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft (stick a fork in one to test). Drain the potatoes, and put them in a large bowl (or the bowl of your mixer) with all of the other ingredients. Mash (or mix) till smooth, and serve warm!

Voila! Perfect mashed potatoes! The sour cream is the secret ingredient. It adds to the smooth, creaminess, and a bit of tang too!! Buttermilk also works, but sometimes it gives the potatoes kind of a sticky texture.

Buttery, fluffy potatoes. The perfect side dish to any meat, in my opinion. If you've never tried sour cream in your taters before, give these a try!! I could eat these all day... all month... all winter :)

Thanks again to those who linked up! And to those of you who haven't, it's still open! Stop by!