We don’t mess around with our mashed potato recipes here at Mom’s Dinner. Potatoes on their own can be bland. They’re a perfect canvas to add a TON of flavor like sour cream, cream cheese, garlic, butter, etc… When I was testing these Red Skin Mashed Potatoes I found that adding diced shallots and garlic sauteed in salted butter, along with sour cream, half and half, and salt/pepper made for AMAZING flavor.
Put an extra pat of salted butter on top to melt all over the red skin mashed potatoes and then sprinkle on some extra cracked black pepper.
We make sure our mashed potatoes are PACKED with flavor here at Mom’s Dinner; like this cult favorite Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes and Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes.
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Red Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
- Red Skin Potatoes- Also called new potatoes, these are smaller potatoes that have red skins. They are more tender and less starchy than a russet potato.
Make sure you cut out any parts that look bad on the outside, but you don’t need to peel these potatoes. The red skins are super thin and totally edible. - Butter- Salted butter is a great option.
- Shallots and Garlic- a shallot is like a mild, tender onion and is the perfect option for these potatoes. You need about ⅓-1/2 cup shallots, which will be about 1 large shallot.
The shallots and garlic get sautéed lightly in the butter. The flavor of the two infuse the butter… which in turn infuses the potatoes. YUM! - Half & Half- This is the milk that we use to whip up the red skin mashed potatoes. You can also use whole milk if that is what you have.
- Sour Cream + mashed red skin potatoes is a match made in heaven! The sour cream adds a TON of flavor to the mashed potatoes.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper– Mashed potatoes need more salt than you would think!
Watch: How to Make Mashed Red Potatoes
How to Make Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes
- Boil Potatoes
- Sauté Shallots and Garlic
- Dry Potatoes
- Mash The Potatoes.
Quarter the potatoes (or cut into 1-2 inch pieces). Place in a large pot of water, covering the potatoes by 1-2 inches. Add kosher salt and place over medium high heat. Once the pot boils, turn the heat down to medium and simmer/boil for 10-15 minutes.
START POTATOES IN COOL WATER! You specifically want to start your red skin potatoes in COOL tap water.
By starting them in cool tap water you allow the water and the potato to rise together in temperature, ensuring an even cook all the way to the center of the potato.
If you bring the water to a boil first it will result in a potato that has the first layer boiled to death and falling apart by the time the middle is done!
Place a skillet over medium low heat and sauté the shallots and garlic for about 3 minutes. Then set aside to cool.
Drain the potatoes and then return to the pot, place over low heat and stir for about a minute. This removes some of the excess moisture from the potatoes.
Place all the ingredients in a bowl for mixing (or leave in the pot if it works for mashing); potatoes, butter/shallot mixture, sour cream, half and half, kosher salt and pepper.
With a hand held mixer blend the potatoes on medium speed until they are mashed perfectly. These red skin mashed potatoes are meant to be slightly chunky because of the skins, so don’t try to get them perfectly silky.
variations
This recipe is super easy to change up for different flavor variations. Here are some ideas:
Horseradish – Stir in 1-2 tablespoons prepared horseradish with the sour cream. Great with beef.
Buttermilk and Pepper – Use 1 cup buttermilk in place of the half and half and double the black pepper. Great with BBQ.
Brown Butter and Sage – Brown the butter before adding the shallots, then stir in 5- 6 chopped sage leaves in the last 30 seconds. Great with pork.
Loaded – Fold in 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, 6 slices crumbled bacon, and ½ cup sliced green onions at the end
What To Serve With Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are such a classic side dish. They are the perfect comfort food that goes with just about anything. Here are some of our favorite main dish recipes to serve with these red skin mashed potatoes:
STORING & FREEZING
Red skin mashed potatoes store really well, making them a great make-ahead side. Once cooled, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. When reheating, add a splash of milk, cream, or even a little butter to bring back that creamy texture.
For freezing, let the mashed potatoes cool completely, then portion them into freezer-safe bags or containers (flattening them helps them thaw faster). They'll keep well for about 1-2 months. When reheating from frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge if you can, then warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring in extra dairy as needed to smooth everything back out.
You can also scoop the mashed potatoes into individual balls (an ice cream scoop works perfectly), place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and freeze until solid. Then transfer them to a freezer bag for easy storage. When you're ready to use them, add the frozen mashed potato scoops to a skillet with a splash of milk (and a little butter if you like) and warm them gently over medium-low heat. As they soften, stir and break them up until smooth and creamy again
FAQ’s
Instead of counting how many actual potatoes per person, you will want to measure this by pound. Plan on about ½ pound of potatoes per person.
Ohhhh… I have some info for you on this question…
1. Starting the potatoes in boiling water – always start your potatoes in room temp water, this ensures that the potatoes cook evenly through to the middle.
2. Boiling the potatoes whole – cut the potatoes into smaller chunks so they cook evenly. If you try to boil a potato whole the outside will be boiled to death and water logged before the middle is ready.
3. Not salting the water – make sure you add a generous amount of salt to the cooking water. It’s a great way to enhance and season the potatoes.
4. Not drying overly wet potatoes – if your cooked potatoes are still completely soggy, pop them in the empty (warm) pot and close the lid, let them “dry out” for about 5 minutes before mashing.
5. Under seasoning the potatoes – mashed potatoes on their own are actually lifeless!!! Mashed potatoes need a lot of flavor and seasoning added to make them totally irresistible.
More Delish Mashed Potato Recipes
Red Skin Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. red-skinned potatoes - cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- ⅓ - ½ cup very finely diced shallots - this is about 1 large shallot
- 1 large garlic clove - minced
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 teaspoon Kosher salt - divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Chopped parsley - optional
Instructions
- Sauté the shallots and garlic in the 4 Tbsp. butter over medium heat until softened (about 2-3 minutes). Then set aside.⅓ - ½ cup very finely diced shallots, 1 large garlic clove, 4 Tbsp. butter
- Wash and cut the potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces, cut out any sketchy looking parts of the potato. Place in a large pot of room temp water, the water should be about 1 inch above the potatoes. Set over medium-high heat and add 2 teaspoon kosher salt to the pot. Once the water comes to a boil (may take up to 15 minutes), let the potatoes boil for about 10-12 minutes. Mom's Tip: We start the potatoes in room temp water so that they cook through evenly.4 lbs. red-skinned potatoes
- Make sure the potatoes are fork tender, then drain and return them to the pot. Place the pot of potatoes over low heat and cook, while stirring, for 1-2 minutes to remove the excess moisture.
- Remove potatoes from the heat and add in the butter/garlic/shallot mixture, half and half, sour cream, 1 tsp. kosher salt and ½ tsp. black pepper.1 cup half and half, 1 cup sour cream
- Mash with a handheld mixer until combined (these potatoes will not be completely smooth, they are meant to have a lot of texture with the skins etc.).
- Taste the potatoes to see if they need more salt at this point (possibly another ½ – 1 tsp) and if using, add in the chopped parsley at this point.
Susan Padilla says
Such a great recipe, delicious potatoes. Using the red potatoes made it much creamier, we really enjoyed them. The garlic and shallots added a good flavor, I will definitely do this recipe again; D