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On a dining table, Mashed Red Potatoes may lack the visual splendor of a dazzling golden roasted turkey or a majestic standing rib roast, but this favorite comfort dish makes up for it with its rich, creamy, buttery flavor. We tend to think of mashed potatoes as a holiday side dish, but since they’re so simple to make, I reach for my potato masher even on busy weeknights!
Russet potatoes are usually the preferred spuds for this dish, but thin-skinned red potatoes offer a deliciously different taste and texture. Unlike russets, red potatoes don’t need to be peeled first, meaning you can make them quickly — and leaving the skins on adds a delicate flavor, more interesting mouthfeel and a pretty pop of color. Lightly salty and rich with olive oil, butter and garlic, you’ll want to serve these silky potatoes with everything!
These are sooo good! I was definitely skeptical to mash them with olive oil. I’m so used to mashing potatoes with milk. These are delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Heather H.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Mashed Red Potatoes
- Red Potatoes: about 2 pounds, which is about 7-8 small red potatoes or 14-15 red new potatoes
- Butter: unsalted or salted butter works, but you may need to adjust the salt
- Garlic: fresh cloves or in a pinch, you can use jarred minced garlic
- Fine Sea Salt: the fine grains blend well into the creamy mixture
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I like cold pressed ones because they tend to be higher quality and retain more nutrients
- Chives: fresh chives add texture, flavor and color
Waxy vs. Starchy Potatoes
Some cooks avoid using red potatoes for mashing because they’re considered waxy, meaning they have more moisture and less starch, which can lead to a less appealing, gluey outcome (once mashed). But I rely on a couple of simple tricks to create perfect mashed potatoes every time!
- First, I steam the potatoes instead of boiling them, which prevents them from being overcooked or waterlogged. Steaming also creates very tender potatoes, making them easy to mash.
- Which brings us to my second trick – lightly mashing. You’ll want to avoid over-mashing them because red potatoes are naturally smooth and creamy.
4 Recipe Tips
- I like to steam all types of potatoes, not just red ones, for mashed potato dishes because it avoids overcooking or waterlogged potatoes. The key is to steam them until they are very tender.
- Avoid over-mashing the potatoes or you may end up with a gluey, pasty mixture.
- Red potato skins are thin and delicate, so there’s no need to skin them before cooking.
- If you don’t feel like hunting down a scale at your grocery store or farmer’s market, a good rule of thumb for 2 pounds is 7 or 8 small red potatoes or 14 or 15 new red potatoes.
Savory, creamy Mashed Red Potatoes are an incredibly versatile side dish. They’re easy to make, don’t require a lot of ingredients and accentuate almost any main course.
Serve With
I love to serve these potatoes with everything from Turkey Meatloaf or Meatloaf with Oatmeal, Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops and Roasted Lamb Chops or Pan-Fried Lamb Chops to Duck Confit during the year. For our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners I serve them alongside Turkey Roulade or Dry Brine Turkey and Cornbread Dressing (or Sourdough Stuffing) with Turkey Gravy without drippings.
More Mashed Potatoes
How to Make Mashed Red Potatoes
Step 1: Steam cubes of red potato until very tender.
Step 2: Cook and stir garlic in melted butter then stir in salt and olive oil. Pour olive oil mixture over tender red potato cubes in a large bowl and mash to desired consistency. Serve!
Mashed Red Potatoes
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes (7 or 8 small red potatoes)
- 4 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 large cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- minced chives for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Place raw red potato cubes in a large steamer basket over a large pot of boiling water. Cover and steam until very tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
- When potatoes are nearly tender, melt butter in a small saucepan. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add salt and olive oil; stir until just heated through. Remove from heat.
- Transfer tender potatoes to a large bowl. Pour olive oil mixture over and mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Garnish with chives if desired and serve.
Notes
- If you don’t have a steamer, feel free to boil potatoes instead. To a large pot, add cubed potatoes and enough cold water to cover by 1-inch. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and let summer until potatoes are tender. Drain and proceed with recipe.
- If you’re not a fan of olive oil in these mashed red potatoes, no problem! Just increase the butter to 10 tablespoons and skip the olive oil. Likewise, if you want to use just olive oil for a vegan / dairy-free version, use 10 tablespoons of olive oil (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) and skip the butter.
- To make Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes, mash in the roasted garlic cloves from one or two heads of roasted garlic along with the olive oil mixture before serving. To roast heads of garlic: remove the outer papery skin and cut off the top 1/2 inch of the head to expose garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive and wrap in aluminum foil. Transfer to a baking dish or baking sheet to catch any drips and roast at 400˚F for 35-40 minutes until tender and lightly brown. Let cool slightly before squeezing cloves out with your fingers or lifting out with a cocktail fork.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These are amazing!! I boiled the potatoes since I don’t have a steamer…and they were amazing. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Tracy! Thank you for coming back to let me know.
These literally look amazing, cooking them tonight with my garlic, brown sugar pork loin
Sounds like a great combo!
Can you boil these instead of steaming them?
Hi, Joanna. Yes, absolutely! 🙂
These were easy and delicious. I used avocado oil. Mild easy flavor for our fussy family. They loved. Thank you!
That’s wonderful to hear, Lynn! Thank you for coming back to let me know!
Omgeeeee!!! I will definitely be preparing these tonight with my Mexican meatloaf, thank you so much for sharing this looks so yummy!!!
Perfect combination. Thank you, Lupe!
Your potatoes certainly do look good. I’ve got red potatoes that I was going to make this evening so I’ll be trying your version.
I love to hear that, Karen. Thank you!
This post gives me all the feels! As does the video! I love smashed red potatoes – and yours are the best!!
aww, Annie! Thank you, my friend. xo
Gosh these smashed potatoes look so rich with all the butter and olive oil. I am super tempted to make these in my kitchen.
I hope you do, Neha! Thank you.
This looks better than anything you can get at a restaurant!! I love the bits of potato peel in there – and just perfect with a little pat of butter 🙂 YUM!
Thank you, Katherine! Don’t you love the peels on new potatoes – I love the texture they add!
I could do some serious damage to this pot of tatos!! I second David…these are making me hungry right now!! Happy Friday! XO
haha, thank you so much Dawn!
Steaming the potatoes is GENIUS! These look absolutely amazing. 🙂
Thanks, Kevin! It’s so nice to not have to worry about waterlogged potatoes!
Yes, yes and more yes to these smashed potatoes! You know, I heard that same trick about steaming potatoes somewhere, and it works beautifully! And I love a good smashed potato. Red potatoes are always one of my favorites, and I’m thinking I might need to whip these up as a side dish soon. These photos are making me hungry! 🙂
If you’re hungry, then I’ve done my job, haha! Thank you, David!
Oh the texture reminds me of Japanese potato salad. So comforting and soft! 😀
I’ve never had Japanese potato salad! Off to research… thank you, my friend!
I don’t have the words to tell you just how much I love potatoes. Especially mashed! Or smashed :). These look fabulous and I’m totally going to steam my potatoes next time I make them. Awesome tip! Have a great weekend, Marissa!
I’m with you, Kelsie – mashed or smashed, just hand ’em over. 😉
I love potatos and (especially in a mashed form), and I can literally eat a huge bawl (And this is the reason I try to stay away from it as much as possible). This one, with garlic, butter, and olive oil, is irresistibly delicious.
haha, thank you so much Ben!