Food - Drink
Next Time You Make Mashed Potatoes Try Roasting Them First
By ARIANNA ENDICOTT
The most common way to soften potatoes for mashing is through boiling, but this may be an issue if there is a limited stovetop space for cooking other dishes. There is one other tried-and-tested method for making a better mash, and that is roasting potatoes in the oven.
This method will make potatoes easy to mash and provide a convenient way to cook other dishes on the stovetop with the potatoes in the oven. After cleaning and piercing holes in the potatoes, place them on a foil-covered baking sheet, put them in the oven at 425 degrees F, and bake typically for around 65 to 75 minutes until soft (per approximately 4 lbs. of potatoes), per Bon Appetit.
Another benefit to roasting compared to boiling is the lack of moisture absorbed into the potatoes. According to Martha Stewart, too much moisture can impact the quality of the finished side dish, and roasting potatoes skips the straining and gets right to the mashing after the potatoes have finished cooling.