Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

Browned Butter Sea Salt Mashed Potatoes

Let’s talk spuds.  We’re approaching prime “mashed potato season” after all and this ubiquitous favorite can be perfectly smooth, creamy and lush or it can be a lumpy, gluey disaster.  These Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes are the ultimate side dish and I’ve got a few tips on how you can make them perfect EVERY TIME.

potatoes and a peeler

Mashed potatoes are one of my guilty pleasures. There’s something very comforting about a bowl of warm, creamy, buttery spuds. I use them for this Colcannon and if there are ever leftovers (which is rare), I transform them into a soufflé and my husband’s favorite potato pancakes.

For this recipe, I’ve put a slight twist on the standard mashed potatoes with the addition of browned butter.

Why you’ll love mashed potatoes with browned butter

  • They’re still mashed potatoes but with a nutty complexity.
  • They’re rich and pair with everything from rotisserie chicken to Thanksgiving turkey.
  • Browned butter only takes a few minutes to make.
  • Kids and adults alike love this recipe.
  • It uses basic ingredients (nothing fancy).

What you’ll need for brown butter mashed potatoes

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  • Yukon Gold potatoes – They have just the right amount of starchiness; Yukon Golds are not too waxy (which can yield a gluey mass) and not too starchy (which lends a more granular texture).
  • Kosher Salt or regular salt (for salting the water to cook the potatoes)
  • Butter – Use unsalted butter. That way you can control the salt level in the potato puree.
  • Milk – Whole milk is best, but you can use a 1% or 2% – or go richer with half and half.
  • Fine Sea Salt – I like to use Sea Salt for seasoning the potatoes; it’s a personal preference, the flavor is very pure, but Kosher salt works too.
potato ricer.

Special equipment:

The second must have is a potato ricer.  

Do not — I repeat — do not use a hand mixer to make mashed potatoes.

 I’ve seen it all too often — a little over-mixing and you’ve taken your potatoes from creamy, silky perfection to a “pass the gravy so I can get this gummy mess down my throat” concoction.

A potato ricer is essentially a press. It comes with several types of metal discs festooned with holes. Insert the cooked tubers into the slot and squeeze the handles together. The potatoes are pressed into bits that resemble “rice”.

They are soft, smooth, and creamy with NO lumps. Perfect.

step by step instructions for ricing potatoes

How it works:

The potato ricer is key, passing your simmered potatoes through a fine disk that doesn’t over process them, maintaining an ideal texture for stirring – yes, stirring in your butter and milk.  No beaters necessary.

You do need to peel the spuds (as the tough skins won’t pass through the holes, but I think that’s a fair trade-off.

step by step instructions for browning butter

For more depth, instead of using plain, melted butter, simmer it until the water in the butter evaporates and the milk solids turn nutty and browned.

Pro-Tips to make brown butter

  1. Add the butter to a heavy-bottomed pan (for more even cooking) (with a lighter interior). Why? So you can see the milk solids changing from white to amber brown. If you use a dark/black-bottomed pan, your only cue that it’s ready will be by smell. I trust my olfactory senses, but visual cues are most important.
  2. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. Initially, the butter will spatter a bit, and that’s normal. It’s just allowing the liquids in the butter to escape.
  3. The next stage of cooking is when the butter starts to foam.  Stir constantly, and when the foam dissipates, you’ll start noticing the milk solids on the bottom of the pan begin to brown. 
  4. Remove the pan from the heat when the solids turn from golden to a toasty brown, and the aroma is warm and nutty. Remember that the milk solids will continue to cook even after you’ve removed them from the heat.
  5. Sometimes, you’ll be in an in-between stage where the butter needs more color, but you know it will turn quickly. For this, I use a back-and-forth method of pulling the pan off the heat for a few seconds while I stir, then putting it back for a few seconds. This helps to moderate the heat and gives you better control while browning the butter.
  6. Obviously, don’t walk away from the pan at any time while you’re making the butter sauce, to avoid burning.
step by step instructions for making browned butter sea salt mashed potatoes.

How To make mashed potatoes with browned butter

  1. Peel and boil the potatoes for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Drain well then pass the cooked spuds through the potato ricer and into a large bowl.
  2. Stir one cup of hot milk and 6 tablespoons of browned butter into the mashed potatoes. Season with sea salt.
  3. Transfer browned butter mashed potatoes to a serving bowl and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of browned butter over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley (for color, optional).

What I love about this method is that it goes really quickly at the end. Just stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the ingredients are combined.  No over-mixing.  

That’s the ultimate mashed potato recipe with browned butter and sea salt.  Enjoy.

More mashed vegetables you’ll love:

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Browned butter mashed potatoes.
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4.72 from 7 votes

Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes

Browned butter adds a subtle warm, nutty flavor to traditional mashed potatoes.  To get the creamiest mash – with no lumps and no gluey texture, be sure to use a potato ricer.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword mashed potatoes
Dietary Restrictions Egg Free
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into 1″ dice
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ~1 ¼ cups whole milk warmed in the microwave
  • 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt

Garnish

  • chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add kosher salt and potatoes.  Cook for 12-15 minutes until tender.  (You can tell when the potatoes are done by poking one with a very sharp paring knife.  If the potato slides off the knife, it’s ready — if it stays on the tip, it needs more time.)
  • While potatoes are cooking, brown the butter.  Place the  butter into a small saucepan and heat over medium to medium low heat, until the butter melts. The mixture will begin to foam and spit.  This is the water that’s present in the butter — it’s evaporating.  The milk solids will start to take on a golden color, let it go to a deeper amber, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.  When the butter smells nutty and the milk solids have browned, remove from the heat and set aside.
  • Drain the potatoes.   Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or better yet — a potato ricer.  Select the finest disc for the ricer and insert it.  Fill the ricer with cooked potato and press it through the ricing disc.  Continue until the potatoes are all processed.
  • Stir one cup of hot milk and 6 tablespoons browned butter into the potatoes.  If mixture seems dry, add more hot milk about 2 tablespoons at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.  Add sea salt and stir.
  • Transfer mashed potatoes to a serving bowl and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of browned butter.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 248kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 1187mg | Potassium: 936mg | Fiber: 5g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 25.8mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 7.3mg

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7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Luckily, I can say with confidence from experience that these mashed potatoes are AWESOME! Yum!

  2. 5 stars
    Oh I just love mashed potatoes and you have just brought these over-the-top with browned butter. I am drooling!!

  3. You had me at browned butter…and then you added potatoes…for the win! Way to go on this home run, Lisa 🙂

  4. 5 stars
    Um… I didn’t even know what a potato ricer was. You have educated me. I’ll go get one now. Lol

  5. 5 stars
    Oh my gosh, I was drooling immediately just at the name of this dish! I never make brown butter but totally should. With sea salt and mashed potatoes, holy moly… yes, totally bookmarking this!

    1. The browned butter gives the potatoes a richer, nuttier flavor.

  6. I have never tried mashed potatoes with browned butter! Sounds so delicious!