There’s a motto around our house: You can never have enough potatoes. The One and I love them boiled, roasted, smashed, punched, hashed, grated, and, especially, mashed.
We rarely have a dish without some sort of spuds accompanying it. So, understandably, it’s pretty hard for a potato recipe to stop us in our tracks. But this one did. Actually, it was so stunning I can’t recall what the main dish was! Chicken? Beef? Pork? It doesn’t matter.
And I’ll let you in on a little secret: If It looks as if that pot above must be huge considering the recipe calls for 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes, it’s not. I ate about half before photographing them.
That should tell you all you need to know. So make these now!
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Why You’ll Love This Dish
Our recipe testers were delighted with this “fun spin on mashed potatoes” and praised the recipe for its “crystal-clear” directions. Irene Seales claims that Ina Garten’s mashed potatoes “elevates anything you think you love about mashed potatoes to a beautiful, perfect texture and silky flavor.” I can’t argue with that.
Notes on Ingredients
- Yukon Gold potatoes–These are the gold standard (no pun intended) of potatoes for a reason. I highly recommend using them to get the creamiest, smoothest mashed potatoes imaginable.
- Unsalted butter—I prefer unsalted butter because salt content varies from brand to brand of salted butter. If all you have is salted butter, taste the potatoes before seasoning them in step 5 before salting.
- Lemon–Since you’re zesting the lemon directly into the potatoes, I recommend using organic lemons. If they’re not available to you, give your lemons a good scrub before zesting.
How to Make Ina Garten’s Mashed Potatoes
- Peel and cube the potatoes. Add them to a pot of salted water, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender, then drain.
- Warm the milk over low heat until it simmers. Remove from the heat.
- Pass the potatoes through a food mill or ricer into a large saucepan, or mash until smooth. Set the potatoes over low heat and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time.
- Slowly whisk in the milk until creamy.
- Season with salt and pepper and stir in the lemon zest.
Common Questions
Only a few hours before serving. Lemon gets bitter as it sits so these potatoes are best served the day they’re made.
Prepare them completely without the zest and set them aside at room temperature. Reheat in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, adding warm milk, as needed, until the texture is to your preference. Whisk in the lemon zest just before serving.
Overworking your potatoes tends to cause them to become gummy. I recommend using a ricer for best results, but if you don’t have one available, use a hand masher or a mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment. Don’t use a food processor or blender, which will turn out over-processed, gluey mashed potatoes.
Pro Tips
- When you’re boiling potatoes, always start them in cold water so that they cook evenly.
- This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.
What to Serve with This Recipe
Everyone agrees that these mashed spuds were made to accompany roast chicken (especially with shallots and a spritz of lemon zest), but our testers and readers have also enjoyed them alongside roast pork, ribs, and spice-rubbed grilled pork chops. The notes of lemon in the potatoes would also pair beautifully with a lemon-forward dish like veal piccata.
More Superb Mashed Potato Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
These are amazing!! They’re incredibly creamy. The lemon is subtle, not at all overwhelming, and adds just a little something to the potatoes. I’ve served this with roast chicken and pork loin cooked in milk (which is particularly yummy). These are always a hit—the perfect cozy comfort food.
Hilary M.
Ina Garten’s Mashed Potatoes with Lemon
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds large Yukon Gold potatoes, peel and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch (4- to 5-cm) chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 sticks (8 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) cubes and put it back in the fridge
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, from 2 lemons, preferably organic
Instructions
- Plonk the potatoes in a large saucepan, add water to cover by one inch (25 mm), and add 2 tablespoons salt.
- Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered until the potatoes are very tender when pierced, 15 to 17 minutes.
- Drain in a colander and reserve the saucepan.
- Warm the milk In a small saucepan over low heat just until it simmers. Turn off the heat. Set aside.
- Using a potato ricer or food mill fitted with the finest blade set above the large saucepan, mash the potatoes into the pan.
- Set the saucepan over low heat and vigorously whisk in the cold butter several cubes at a time, waiting for each addition to be incorporated before adding more.
- When all the butter is added, slowly whisk in enough of the hot milk to make the potatoes creamy but still thick. You might have some milk left over.
- Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Whisk in the lemon zest, taste for seasoning, and serve hot.
Notes
- Start them cold–When you’re boiling potatoes, always start them in cold water so that they cook evenly.
- Dietary–This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
These lemon mashed potatoes are a fun spin on mashed potatoes and a recipe that could work with several varieties of white and yellow potatoes. I think it might be worth adding a little extra salt, given the lemony flavor, but this was a well-received side dish for dinner. We served this with a classic roast chicken and garlicky broccoli rabe.
I was making fish tonight, so the combination of potatoes and lemon seemed perfect.
The directions were crystal-clear, resulting in soft, creamy, rich mashed potatoes with just enough lemon to complement the fish beautifully. I’d make this again, and my wife suggested serving this dish with chicken or ham. We served the mashed potato with lemon, fried whiting (coated Louisiana brand New Orleans style breading), peas, homemade roasted applesauce, and sweet tea to drink.
Magnifico–Ina Garten’s mashed potatoes with lemon are so, so worthwhile! This dish elevates anything you think you love about mashed potatoes to a beautiful, perfect, satiny flavor. The lemon is delicate, and the steady addition of whisked-in butter and milk helps make these gleam like a silk ribbon. They’re surely worth the effort.
My potatoes were especially tender and reminded us of why we love Yukon Golds. While the amount of salt and pepper was about spot on, himself might have taken a bit more black pepper, which blends so well with butter. I love how lemon zest conveys the lemony flavor, even without the actual juice, and might even be more generous with zest.
The recipe serves 4 to 6, and only with great reluctance did we pass on seconds to have it again the next day. The first night, we had this with some lovely baby back ribs, and on day two, we had a flat iron steak. This would be equally delicious with some braised short ribs or a nice bit of seared halibut.
Aaaah, to plop or to plonk? That is the question!
These mashed potatoes are buttery and delicious.
Hah! Thanks, Jenny!