Perfect Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes (Thanksgiving Edition)

Creamy, buttery holiday mashed potatoes done the simple, stress-free way.

If you want mashed potatoes that make the whole table go quiet for a second… this is the move. Yukon Golds are naturally buttery, naturally creamy, and a perfect canvas for all the good stuff. When you load them up with actual butter, cream, salt, and a little white pepper, they turn into that silky, dreamy mash everyone keeps circling back to “just for a little more.” 

 

Ingredients (Serves 6–8)

• 4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and rinsed

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra if the mash tightens up

• 1 to 1 ¼ cups heavy cream, warmed

• 1–1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt (potatoes really soak it up)

• ½ teaspoon white pepper

• Water for cooking (salted generously)

   

The Method

1. Start in cold water — always.
 

Here’s the rule: If it grows underground, it goes in cold water.
 Dropping potatoes into boiling water cooks the outside way faster than the inside, which gives you gluey, uneven mash. Starting cold lets the heat creep up gently so the starches swell evenly. Food science folks like Harold McGee have written about this for years—it’s the whole reason mashed potatoes go from “eh” to “wow.”

2. Cook until they’re truly tender.
 

Bring the pot to a gentle boil and cook until they’re truly tender. Not “kinda soft.” A fork should slide in like the potato owes you money.
 

3. Drain well, really well.
 

Any leftover water steals flavor and waters down the butter-and-cream situation you worked so hard for. Drain them well, then dump them right back into the hot pot and let them steam for a couple minutes. That little move removes any extra moisture and gives you a richer flavor in the end.
 

4. Mash warm and add the good stuff.
 

Now grab your potato ricer. This is how you get that perfectly smooth, lump-free mash without overworking the potatoes. Rice them while they’re warm, then fold in lots of room temperature butter, warm heavy cream, white pepper, and—don’t forget this—salt. Potatoes love salt. They need more than you think, so season the water, season the mash, taste, and adjust. White pepper keeps the mash looking silky without the little black specks. Taste, adjust, taste again—quality control is part of the job description.

5. Adjust with more butter.
 

If they tighten up—or if you just decide you deserve it—add another pat or two of butter. They’ll loosen right back into that silky, dreamy texture. Give them a quick stir before serving and you’re good.

 

Make-Ahead Notes

You can prep ahead:

• Peel and wash potatoes the day before.

• Store them fully submerged in cold water in the fridge overnight.

• On Thanksgiving Day, drain, cook, mash.

After you mash, slide them into a slow cooker on warm. Not hot. Not low. Warm. They’ll hold beautifully for hours. If they thicken up, a little more butter or warm cream brings them right back.

Remember, taste them at least three times—once while mashing, once in the slow cooker, and once before serving. Perfect mashed potatoes don’t happen by accident.

 

Simple steps, big payoff, zero stress. That’s my mashed-potato playbook. Happy Thanksgiving, friends.

 

As always, reach out to The Small Town Chef with any questions or comments. We look forward to hearing from you.

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