Creamy & Low-Fat Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Name: Creamy & Low-Fat Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 2017-09-22T00:15:00+00:00
Total time: 2017-09-22T00:35:00+00:00
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 2 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes; 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided; 2/3 cup non-fat or low-fat (1%) milk; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Nov 7, 2011 by Dara 53 Comments

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To say my husband was skeptical about a low-fat, healthy mashed potato recipe would be an understatement. And really, who can blame him? After all, the Thanksgiving feast is traditionally all about butter and cream. Don’t get me wrong, I love buttery, rich dishes as much as the next Pilgrim. However, I am also determined to make it out the other side of the holiday without popping the seams of my favorite jeans. Perhaps more faulty reasoning would be that I can eat more pumpkin pie and pour on extra gravy if the mashed potatoes don’t contain a weekend’s worth of saturated fat. (By the way, be sure to head to How to Make Turkey Gravy: Recipe & Troubleshooting for some helpful tips.)

So, how do you achieve creamy, tantalizing mashed potatoes with only a modicum of fat? The first step is to cut the potatoes into cubes. Not only will they cook faster, but they will be the perfect size for the next step. Once cooked, drained and quickly dried in the pot, the potatoes are ready for the food mill. My trusty OXO food mill does the trick every time (really, is there anything this company doesn’t make well?) but a potato ricer is a great substitute. If you don’t have either of these kitchen tools, don’t fret. You can also use a hand-mixer. The potatoes won’t be quite as a lump-free, but very close.

The potatoes are whipped right into a mixture of skim milk, 1 tablespoon (!) of butter and seasonings. I know, I know – sounds like a pathetic mixture, right? Au contraire, my spud-loving friends. My husband was very surprised and impressed at the texture and taste of these potatoes and gave me a very enthusiastic nod of approval. Coming from a man who makes a gigantic volcano of mashed potatoes, filled with a crater full of gravy, that’s saying something.

The recipe:
Place cubed potatoes in a large saucepan and cover potatoes with cold water. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and set saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.

Drain potatoes, return to saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring the potatoes until dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep potatoes warm.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine milk, butter, remaining salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir occasionally until butter is melted. Reduce heat to low.

Rest a food mill, fitted with the medium disc, on top of the saucepan with the milk mixture.

Working with about one-third of the potatoes at a time, run the potatoes through the food mill, directly into the saucepan. Alternatively, use a potato ricer.

If you don’t have a food mill or potato ricer, a hand-held mixer can also be used.

Using a rubber spatula (a heatproof one, please) stir the potatoes into the milk mixture until completely combined. Be sure to taste the mashed potatoes and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Serve.

Other holiday-worthy potato recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Twice-Baked Sweet Potato with Chipotle Pecan Streusel
Cookin’ Canuck’s Scalloped Potatoes with Gorgonzola, Parmesan & Cheddar Cheeses
The Kitchn’s Sweet Potato Gratin with Caramelized Onions
Joy the Baker’s Hasselback Potatoes with Spinach Cashew Pesto
Baking BItes’ Brown Sugar Cardamom Sweet Potato Pie