Mashed potato facts for kids
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, butter or vegetable oil, milk or cream |
| Variations | Duchess potatoes, aloo bharta |
| 214 per cup kcal | |
Mashed potato (also called mashed potatoes or just mash) is a yummy dish made by squishing boiled, peeled potatoes. People often add creamy butter, milk, or cream to make it taste even better. Sometimes, they even whip it to make it super fluffy!
This dish is usually served on the side with meat or vegetables. It's a popular food in many countries. In the United States, mashed potatoes are often eaten during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. But in Canada and the United Kingdom, people enjoy them all year round!
Did you know that recipes for mashed potatoes first appeared way back in 1747? They were in a cookbook called The Art of Cookery by Hannah Glasse. Today, you can even find mashed potatoes that are already made and frozen or dried at the supermarket!
Mashed potatoes can also be used to make other dishes, like dumplings or gnocchi. For these, the potatoes might be baked or boiled, and sometimes they don't even have dairy or seasoning added.
Contents
What's in Mashed Potatoes?
To make the best mashed potatoes, people usually pick "floury" types of potatoes. These include kinds like russet or golden wonder potatoes. Sometimes, "waxy" potatoes are used if someone wants a different texture.
To make them taste great and feel smooth, people often add:
Then, they add seasonings like salt and pepper. You can also add other yummy things to make them special, such as:
- Garlic
- Cheese
- Bacon bits
- Sour cream
- Crispy onions or spring onions
- Sweet caramelised onion
- Mustard or horseradish
- Spices like nutmeg
- Chopped herbs like parsley
Fun Variations of Mashed Potatoes
There are many ways to make mashed potatoes around the world!
- In France, one special kind is called pommes duchesse (Duchess potatoes). They add egg yolk to the mashed potatoes, then pipe them into pretty shapes like ribbons or rosettes. They are brushed with butter and lightly browned.
- Another French style, pomme purée, uses a lot more butter than regular mashed potatoes – sometimes even half as much butter as potatoes!
- If you want a low-calorie or dairy-free version, you can use soup stock or broth instead of milk, cream, and butter.
- In India, there's a dish called Aloo Bharta. It's a mashed potato dish that includes chopped onions, mustard, chili peppers, coriander leaves, and other spices.
-
Making mashed potatoes in a big kitchen machine.
-
A plate of sausages and mashed potatoes, also known as "bangers and mash".
-
A close-up of mashed potatoes with butter and chives.
-
Mashed potatoes with parsley on top.
How Mashed Potatoes are Used
Mashed potatoes are often served as a side dish with meals. In the United Kingdom, they are very popular with sausages, a dish called "bangers and mash".
Mashed potatoes are also a key ingredient in many other tasty dishes, such as:
- Shepherd's pie and cottage pie
- Pierogi (dumplings)
- Colcannon (an Irish dish with cabbage or kale)
- Different kinds of dumplings
- Potato pancakes
- Potato croquettes
- Gnocchi (small potato dumplings)
If mashed potatoes are made very runny, they are sometimes called mousseline potatoes.
Mashed Potato Leftovers
In the United Kingdom, if you have cold mashed potatoes left over, you can mix them with fresh eggs and fry them until they are crispy. This makes a "potato cake," which is a popular breakfast food. If you mix the cold mashed potatoes with meat and other leftover vegetables and then fry them, it's called "bubble and squeak"!
In the United States, a popular topping for mashed potatoes is gravy. This is usually a sauce made from meat juices, like beef gravy or turkey gravy. More and more, people are also using vegetable gravy, especially if they are vegetarian or vegan.
To make mashed potatoes, you can use special tools like a potato masher or a potato ricer. You can also whip them with an electric mixer, or if the potatoes are boiled enough, you can even mash them with a strong wooden spoon!
See also
In Spanish: Puré de papas para niños
