The One Secret Ingredient Bobby Flay Uses to Make the Best Mashed Potatoes
Hint: It’s not butter, oil or sour cream.
Brian David
Thick, gluey mashed potatoes have been a staple at my family’s Thanksgiving table for the last five years. I wish I could blame someone else for the unfortunate pile of spuds, but it’s been 100 percent my fault. The reasons: my misguided use of a handheld potato masher and I was missing one super key and surprising ingredient.
This year, things are going to be different, finally — and it’s all thanks to Bobby Flay.
“Everybody wants mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving,” Bobby says in his Favorite Mashed Potatoes class on the Food Network Kitchen app.
This may be true, but no one wants mashed potatoes that could double as wall spackle. Fortunately, by following Bobby’s tips and tricks from his class, there’s no way any of us will end up with a gummy mash ever again.
In addition to revealing his favorite kitchen tool to process the spuds (not a potato masher!), Bobby shares a bunch of other super smart secrets.
One big mistake that he thinks many people make is not immediately incorporating ingredients into just-cooked potatoes while they’re still hot.
“You can always tell when someone dressed cold potatoes to make mashed potatoes, they’re just not as good,” he says.
When it comes to dressing his hot potatoes, Bobby goes beyond classic milk and butter by adding one surprising ingredient that coincidentally is also the secret to his perfect scrambled eggs.
“Creme fraiche to me is really the way to go,” he says.
The French cousin of sour cream, creme fraiche helps the mashed potatoes become ultra creamy. Plus, it adds a little tang that makes his luscious mash the ultimate foil to turkey and all of the other side dishes happening on the holiday table.
“I like to pump mine up, just a little bit extra, especially for Thanksgiving,” Bobby says.
For more smart tips, check out Bobby’s Favorite Mashed Potatoes class and more classes on how to make delicious Thanksgiving dishes on the Food Network Kitchen app.
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