I firmly believe that no fall or winter dinner party is complete without a big bowl of piping-hot mashed potatoes.
That said, there’s nothing worse than digging into a pile of fluffy potatoes, only to discover that they’re bland or dry.
Although there are dozens of ways to dress up spuds with mix-ins like cheese, sour cream, and extra butter, kitchen queen Ina Garten has a wonderfully simple recipe that I had to try.
I’m so glad I did. Not only is Garten’s recipe short and sweet, but the dish is flavor-packed, ultra-creamy, and about to be a part of every future holiday spread in my house.
Here’s how to make Garten’s mashed potatoes.
The ingredient list is short and simple.
You only need six ingredients for this simple side dish: kosher salt, potatoes, whole milk, unsalted butter, buttermilk, and black pepper.
Garten recommends using a potato that’s easy to boil, such as Yukon Gold. Russets would work well, too: Compared to other potatoes, these varieties contain more starch, which breaks down when mashed into a light and fluffy texture.
Yukons are my personal preference; I’ve found them to be slightly creamier than other options.
The potatoes took me under 10 minutes to prep.
Once I collected my ingredients — and set a big pot of well-salted water to boil on the stove — I started on the prep work.
The first step here is peeling the potatoes, but don’t worry about doing it perfectly.
I’ve found that, as long as the spuds are clean, a few pieces of potato skin in the mix won’t really change the dish’s quality. Some home chefs might even like to leave a bit of skin on for extra texture.
The potatoes should then be cut into roughly equal-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.
Garten recommends 1 ½-inch cubes, but it’s OK if you’re not super precise, since everything will be mashed together later.
Cook the potatoes, and don’t let them get gummy.
Once the water came to a boil on the stove, I added the prepped potatoes and reduced the heat to maintain a gentle simmer with the lid off.
An important part of the recipe is to avoid boiling the potatoes, which can make them turn gummy. Instead, keep the water at a nice simmer until you can easily pierce the spuds with a paring knife. This took me between 10 and 15 minutes.
When they’re done, drain the potatoes in the sink and return them to the pot to finish the dish.
While the potatoes simmered, I warmed the butter and milk.
Next, I created a mixture of melted butter and whole milk to infuse the cooked potatoes with rich, creamy flavor and texture.
A key step in Garten’s recipe is to warm these two ingredients in a small saucepan while the potatoes cook. The butter will melt into the milk, causing an emulsion.
Dry spuds absorb hot liquids better than cold ones, and you’ll have an easier time combining the ingredients without any cold lumps of butter.
Just don’t let the mixture come to a boil, which can cause the milk to separate from the butter.
Then, I mashed the potatoes.
When the potatoes are done cooking, strain the water over the sink and return them to the pot. Now, it’s time to start mashing.
Garten’s recipe calls for using a food mill to break down the potatoes, but I live in a New York City apartment with barely enough room to store a large pot. So, I used a good old-fashioned potato masher.
Once I’d crushed the potatoes into a mostly uniform mush, I added the warm butter and incorporated it with a rubber spatula, per Garten’s instructions.
I added just enough buttermilk for a super creamy mash.
Once you’ve folded the butter and milk into the potatoes, it’s time for the star ingredient: buttermilk.
I halved Garten’s recipe, which typically feeds five or six, and decided to add a half cup of buttermilk. At first, I was worried I’d overdone it — my mash looked soupy.
After a little more stirring and time, though, the starchy potatoes absorbed the buttermilk, and I had myself an incredibly light and fluffy mash.
The seasoning — and the buttermilk — made Garten’s recipe stand out from the rest.
Adding the right amount of salt and pepper is essential for any dish, but mashed potatoes are often tragically overlooked in the seasoning department.
Garten recommends adding another 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper to the mash, and I agree wholeheartedly.
The result is a rich, tangy, and flavorful side dish you don’t need to wait for a holiday to make. In my opinion, the buttermilk stole the show: I’ve found that potatoes can be a bit “blah” when not properly seasoned, and this recipe had a slightly acidic quality that I loved.
I’ll be bringing these potatoes to Thanksgiving dinner this year, and every holiday party for the foreseeable future.
This story was originally published on November 20, 2025, and most recently updated on October 22, 2026.
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