Name: My Ultimate Restaurant-style Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Side Dish
Ingredients: For boiling the potatoes; 6-QT/ 24 cups of filtered water; ⅓ cup of sea salt; 1 tablespoon of black pepper; 4 cups unsalted or reduced salt chicken broth (Around 2 / 15 oz can); Mashed potatoes ingredients; 5 lbs / around 6 – Russet Potatoes – Cut into 2 inches wedges; 8 oz softened cream cheese; ¼ a cup of sour cream (Optional); ⅓ a cup of Half and Half; ½ a Cup (1 stick) of softened unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon of garlic powder; Salt and pepper to taste; Optional step – If you are baking your mashed potatoes; Sprinkle these 2 ingredients on top of your mashed potatoes – adjust the quantity to your liking; 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons of dried parsley; ½ tablespoon of paprika pepper

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Get ready to make the ultimate restaurant-style creamy mashed potatoes tonight! This restaurant-quality side dish is made with tender potatoes, creamy butter, garlic powder, and herbs, giving it an irresistible flavor. Enjoy the perfect balance of creaminess and flavor in every bite. See it for yourself; you will find this is the perfect mashed potatoes recipe ever!

Creamy Mashed Potatoes in a glass baking tray and a small portion of mashed potatoes cut out on a round white plate with a fork and a strips napkin

I have been making this creamy mashed potato recipe for almost eight years. Before this recipe, I made various mashed potatoes, which were bland, dry, and not flavorful. So eight years ago, when I was prepping Thanksgiving dinner, I added some chicken stock to my water while boiling the potatoes to see if it would add flavor. My little experiment worked, and now my mashed potatoes have become a staple in my household. Besides holidays, I always make this side dish for special occasions, especially when I make my most popular main dish, such as Guinness braised short ribs, Sous Vide Filet Mignon, and slow-cooked beef shanks with red wine sauce.

My Ultimate creamy Mashed potatoes on a white plate with a spoon

Recipe Snapshot

EASE: Super easy to make
PROS: It’s Delicious and is the best comfort side dish
CONS: Absolutely none
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? During all holidays.

Key ingredients to make creamy mashed potatoes:

Russet Potatoes – This is the best type of potato to use. It is starchy, with a denser texture, and when it boils, it doesn’t turn into a soupy consistency.
Reduced salt Chicken Stock – Putting chicken stock in water helps induced extra flavor into the potatoes. It makes your potatoes extra flavorful.
Water, Salt, and black pepper – These are the critical trio. Boil your potatoes to help soften them, and salt and black paper help elevate the flavor.
Cream Cheese – Another secret to creamy mashed potatoes
Sour Cream – I always add a little bit of sour cream to add a bit of tanginess to the dish.
Half and Half– Helps add moisture to the potatoes so they don’t taste too dry.
Garlic Powder – for extra fragrant
Dried Parsley – for garnish
Paprika Powder – Baking your mashed potatoes helps to brown the top and makes it crispy.

Chez Lalonde creamy Mashed Potatoes Ingredients photos - chicken broth, russet potatoes, spices, butter, half and half, cream cheese, salt and pepper all lay out on a silver baking tray

How To Make My Ultimate Creamy Mashed Potatoes:

Step 1 – Prep your potatoes – First, wash, peel, and cut your potatoes into big wedges on a cutting board. Around 2 to 3 inches in size. (Picture# 1)
Step 2 – Boil your potatoes – Fill a large pot with cold water and bring the water to a boil. The one I use is a 12-Qt pot. First, fill in 6-Qt of water, add your chicken stock, a generous amount of sea salt, and paper. Use a wooden spoon to mix well. After boiling the water, add your potatoes and cook them for 25 minutes. (Pictures# 2 to 4)
Step 3 – Drain your cooked potatoes and add the remaining ingredients – When your timer is up, drain them and transfer them to your stand mixer container. Add butter, cream cheese, sour cream, garlic powder, and Half-and-half creamer to your potatoes. Attach the flat paddle and start mixing all the ingredients together at medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until it reaches a creamy consistency and a buttery texture. (Pictures# 5 to 6)
Step 4 – Transfer your mashed potatoes to a baking dish – Take a baking dish, and grease it with a stick of unsalted butter or cooking spray to prevent your potatoes from sticking. Pour and spread your mashed potatoes evenly into the baking dish. (Pictures# 7 to 8)
Step 5 – To bake or not to bake… This step is up to you – You can definitely serve your mashed potatoes as is. However, the better way is to bake it to add additional flavor. After putting your mashed potatoes in the baking dish, sprinkle some paprika pepper and dried parsley on the top and bake it at 400F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. It is so crispy, and I highly recommend you finish your mashed potato this way. (Picture# 9)

A tray of baked mashed potatoes with herbs. — Voilà!!! Golden, creamy, and beautiful. Check it out!

Tools that you would need to make this mashed potatoes recipe –

Stand Mixer – This is the best way to make the best-mashed potatoes with a creamy texture. I used my KitchenAid Pro 600 6-QT Stand Mixer with the flat beater at a low speed.
Big stainless Steel Pot – For the quality of potatoes that this recipe called for, I used a big 12-Qt stainless steel pot to cook my potatoes. So I don’t overcrowd them and avoid boiling them over.
Stainless steel peeler – for peeling the skin off the potatoes
A Rectangular baking dish – For baking your mashed potatoes

2 round white plate with mashed potatoes with a fork. French bread and strips napkin

Tips and tricks for making my mashed potatoes extra creamy:

Choose the suitable types of potatoes – To make the creamiest mashed potatoes, I recommend you use Russet potatoes because of their starchiness. Other potatoes are not starchy enough, resulting in a watery consistency.
For a creamy consistency, use dairy – Half and half, milk, cream cheese, butter, and sour cream are all essential to make your mashed potatoes to obtain that soft and creamy consistency.
Salt is your friend – Don’t be afraid to use salt as it brings out more flavors.
My secret sauce: Chicken Stock – Add chicken stock to the water when you boil potatoes to enhance the flavor.
The secret weapon to fluffy mashed potatoes: use a stand mixer – I found that using a stand mixer such as a KitchenAid helps reduce your time on mashing your potatoes and, by incorporating air while whipping your potatoes, creates the fluffiest consistency.

Mistakes to avoid when making mashed potatoes

Never over boiled your potatoes –
Boil your potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes is ideal. If you cook your potatoes too long, they will become too soggy and liquidy. You don’t want them to become “potato soup,” do you?

Pick a high starch level of potatoes –
Do not use waxy potatoes such as red skin potatoes or fingerling potatoes.

Do not be afraid of salt – Cooking your potatoes in salted water is like cooking your pasta in salted water. It is a preseasoning process and adds additional flavor to the tasteless starch.

Watch the liquid – When you add half and half, follow the amount I listed in the recipe, and you can add extra half and half accordingly. Once, I added ½ a cup instead of ⅓, and my mashed potatoes turned into mashed potato soup. So watch out.

These delicious entree recipes pair best with this side dish. You need to try them today!

Guinness Braised Short Ribs

Slow-Cooked Beef Shanks in Red Wine Sauce

Sous Vide Filet Mignon

What to do with leftover mashed potatoes

Make a mini shepherd’s pie and freeze it.
You can freeze your mashed potatoes for up to 3 months.
Make breakfast potato cake with eggs
Make potato buns

3 small white round plates with mashed potatoes and french bread.

FAQs about Mashed Potatoes

Yes, you can. Milk is not as thick as half and half, and it may make your mashed potatoes a bit liquidy. Just be careful about how much you are adding to your potatoes.

Yes, you can. There are many ways to mash your potatoes. The stand mixer method is fast and easy; whipping air in the potatoes makes them extra fluffy.

The good reason for cutting the potatoes into cubes is that it helps cook your potatoes faster and more evenly.

You can substitute it with chicken bouillon. Just add two tablespoons of chicken bouillon to your water. If you don’t have either ingredient, you can omit it. But the Chicken broth is my secret sauce to make flavorful mashed potatoes.

We see many people leave the potato skin on when they make home fries or other forms of potatoes dish. However, Russet potato skin is quite thick and coarse. I suggest you leave the skin out of your mashed potato to obtain that creamy consistency.

Are you ready to indulge in today’s buttery, fluffy, and oh-so-creamy mashed potatoes? Whether you’re serving a big family dinner or want a comforting side dish to enjoy on a lazy night, this recipe won’t disappoint. With the perfect balance of creaminess and richness, these mashed potatoes are the perfect companion to any meal. Once you try these ultimate creamy mashed potatoes, you’ll never return to the bland and boring versions. So, let’s get cooking and enjoy every single bite!

If you loved this ultimate creamy mashed potato recipe, then you won’t want to miss out on my other delicious creations. Be sure to follow my blog and social media accounts for more mouth-watering dishes, cooking tips, and behind-the-scenes glimpses. Let’s stay connected and share our love for good food!

My Ultimate Restaurant-style Creamy Mashed Potatoes