For many across the UK, a generous serving of creamy mashed potato is the ultimate comfort food, especially during the colder months. While it seems simple, achieving that perfectly smooth, velvety, and indulgent consistency can be surprisingly difficult. Fortunately, a culinary expert has revealed a straightforward secret that promises to transform your homemade mash into a truly spectacular dish.
The Secret Ingredient for Superior Mash
According to professional chef Amy Sheppard, the key to elevating your mashed potatoes lies in one crucial ingredient: garlic butter. She advocates for ditching the usual cream and incorporating this flavourful butter instead. This simple swap, she explains, brings a lovely richness and depth of taste that makes the potatoes utterly fluffy and light.
Sharing her method on TikTok, Amy recalled, "When I was a kid, this was one of my favourite foods." She passionately endorsed the technique, especially when combined with oven baking, stating, "When you bake the mashed potato with the garlic butter and the cheese, it goes really gooey and really fluffy - I swear I could eat a whole bowl of this by itself."
How to Make the Ultimate Garlic Butter Mashed Potatoes
Amy Sheppard has declared this method, which she shared via the Express, as 'the best' recipe for achieving professional-standard mash at home. The process is simple and uses readily available ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 1.2kg of white potatoes
- 60g soft butter
- Three cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- A small handful of parsley, finely chopped
- 60ml milk
- 100g grated cheddar cheese (plus extra for the topping)
- Salt and ground black pepper
Method:
First, peel the potatoes and chop them into medium-sized chunks. Place them in a pot of cold, salted water and bring to a simmer until they are tender enough to mash. While they are cooking, preheat your oven to 200°C.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them well and return them to the saucepan. Begin mashing them with a fork before finishing with a potato masher until the texture is smooth and fluffy.
Next, combine the soft butter with the chopped garlic and parsley. Stir this garlic butter mixture into the warm potatoes along with the milk and the 100g of grated cheddar cheese. Season generously with salt and pepper, then mix everything until it is smooth and well combined.
Spoon the mashed potato into an oven-proof dish and sprinkle the extra grated cheese over the top. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until the top is a lovely, golden brown.
Why This Method Makes a Difference
The combination of techniques is what sets this recipe apart. The garlic butter infuses the mash with a savoury, rich flavour that cream alone cannot provide, while the final oven-baking step creates a delightful contrast between the crispy, cheesy top layer and the incredibly fluffy, light potato beneath.
This approach transforms the humble side dish into a show-stopping centrepiece that is sure to impress family and guests alike. For anyone who has struggled with gluey or bland mashed potatoes, this chef-approved method could be the game-changing solution.
