3-Ingredient Italian Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Mashed potatoes are a comforting and versatile dish that suits a variety of occasions, from simple meals at home to dinner parties and elaborate holiday celebrations. When made well, mashed potatoes are warm, creamy, savory, and just delicious. They are wonderful when made simply, but also benefit from ingredients that can seriously upgrade mashed potatoes. It's no wonder you can find this dish in the cuisines of many countries around the world, like Irish colcannon potatoes, cheesy French pommes aligot, and aloo bharta, spiced Indian mashed potatoes. Classic mashed potatoes made in Italy are no exception. This version is decadently smooth, features the warm notes of nutmeg, and is creamy and rich from a combination of butter and milk, and sometimes grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a three-ingredient version of Italian mashed potatoes that features russet potatoes, heavy cream, and ground nutmeg (along with salt). To keep to three ingredients and add extra creaminess, heavy cream is used to replace the butter and milk. Tender, boiled russet potatoes are passed through a ricer, the same kitchen device used to mash potatoes for gnocchi, and then whisked well by hand with the other ingredients. This creates the characteristic smoothness of Italian mashed potatoes. Don't leave out the grated nutmeg, which provides the final aromatic touch. Keep this Italian mashed potato recipe in mind the next time you're looking for the perfect accompaniment to a variety of second courses.

For this recipe, you will first need russet potatoes, which are starchy. Starchy potatoes absorb less water and stay drier. If needed, you can substitute other varieties of starchy potatoes, but avoid waxy potatoes. Starchy potatoes are best boiled with the skin on, so don't peel the potatoes before beginning the recipe. You will also need heavy cream, ground nutmeg, and salt. Freshly ground nutmeg will provide a fresher, stronger flavor, but pre-ground nutmeg will also work.

Place the unpeeled potatoes in a pot and cover them with cold water by about an inch.

Bring the water to a gentle boil, add salt, and cook for about 30-35 minutes until tender and easily pierced with a toothpick.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan on medium-low until warm, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Drain the potatoes and cut them in half.

While the potatoes are still hot, carefully pass the potato halves, cut side down, through a potato ricer, collecting the riced potato in a mixing bowl. Remove the skins from the ricer occasionally to prevent clogging. Alternatively, cool the potatoes slightly, peel with a paring knife, and mash in a bowl with a potato masher.

Gradually pour the warm cream into the bowl while whisking well until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.

Add the nutmeg and salt and whisk until evenly combined.

Taste and adjust for salt and nutmeg, and serve hot.

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To make the classic version of Italian mashed potatoes instead of the three-ingredient version, you'll need butter and whole milk instead of heavy cream. A European-style butter will give you a richer flavor and creamier result. Most of the steps are the same as in this recipe. The hot boiled potatoes will be pressed through a potato ricer and into a bowl, and then whisked with warm milk and cubed butter until smooth. Then, nutmeg and salt to taste (and grated Parmesan if desired) are mixed in. You can peel the potatoes with a knife after boiling them and before ricing them if you want to avoid the possibility of any bits of skin making it through.

Sometimes Italian mashed potato recipes call for an additional step. Rice the potatoes into a saucepan instead of a bowl, and use room temperature milk instead of warming it first. Whisk the riced potatoes with just the milk until smooth in the saucepan, and then heat it over a very low flame for no more than five minutes. Finally, add cubed butter, nutmeg, and salt (and optional Parmesan) and whisk until well combined. Serve immediately.

Many people wonder how to substitute milk and butter for heavy cream because most people are more likely to keep milk and butter in the fridge, but only buy heavy cream on occasion. You can use either milk and butter or heavy cream in this recipe, and it works in others as well.

To substitute 1 cup of heavy cream in this recipe, use ¼ cup of unsalted butter and ¾ cup of whole milk. Cube the butter and warm the milk before mixing them with the potatoes. If you want to use this substitution in other kinds of recipes that call for the ingredients to be liquid, then the process is different. Melt the butter first and then gradually pour in the milk while whisking to combine.

The butter will provide a similar fat content to heavy cream, while the milk adds the liquid dairy part. However, keep in mind that it can't be used in place of heavy cream in all cases. While it can easily flavor and thicken soups and be baked into desserts, for example, you won't be able to whip it into whipped cream. You'll have to make a trip to the store to get bona fide heavy cream for that, but we bet the dessert will be worth it.

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