How Do You Season Mashed Potatoes?

Season mashed potatoes in three places, not one: salt the boiling water generously, mash in butter and warm milk or cream, then season at the end with salt, black pepper and garlic and taste before anyone else does. Potatoes soak up salt while they cook, so salting the water does most of the work, and the dairy you add afterward softens the seasoning, which is why a mash seasoned only at the end always needs more than you think. A blend of sea salt, garlic and black pepper covers everything a classic mashed potato wants.

That is the short version. The rest of this page is the order to do it in, how much to use, a few ways to change the flavor for the holiday table, and how to rescue a bowl that went wrong.

Step one: season the water

This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that matters most. Potatoes are starchy, and as they boil the starch opens up and drinks in whatever is in the pot. Salted water seasons the potato from the inside, the same way salted water seasons pasta. Unsalted water gives you a bland potato that no amount of butter can fix.

How much: the water should taste noticeably salty, like a well-seasoned soup. For a big pot that is a small handful of salt, roughly a tablespoon for every pound of potatoes. Most of it goes down the drain with the water, so it is less than it looks. If you are cooking for someone who watches sodium, skip the salt in the water and read the next section for what to do instead.

Optional: a few whole garlic cloves boiled with the potatoes turn soft and mash right in, and a bay leaf adds a note nobody can name but everybody notices. Fish it out before mashing.

Step two: butter and dairy, warm

Drain the potatoes well and let them steam in the colander for a minute so they are not watery. Then mash with butter first, so the fat coats the starch, and add warm milk, half-and-half or cream after. Cold dairy cools the potatoes and tightens them; warm dairy keeps them fluffy. Hold back some of the liquid and add it as you go. A mash can always get looser; it cannot get firmer.

Step three: season at the end, then taste

Now the finishing seasoning. Start with less than you think, stir, and taste with a clean spoon. The right amount is the one where the potato tastes like potato, only more so. For a classic bowl, that is salt, black pepper and garlic. That is the entire label on our The OG blend: sea salt, organic garlic and organic black pepper, nothing else, so one pouch does the whole job in one shake instead of three. Start with a teaspoon for five pounds of potatoes, taste, and add a little more.

For a mash with no added salt at all, use Zilch. Nada. None., fourteen organic herbs and spices with onion, garlic, turmeric and paprika doing the heavy lifting. Go heavier than you would with a salted blend, because there is no salt to carry the flavor, and let it sit in the hot potatoes for a minute before you taste. It is the same blend we use across our low-sodium Thanksgiving plate.

Four ways to change the flavor

• Garlic mashed potatoes. Boil whole peeled cloves with the potatoes, then finish with The OG. Roasted garlic mashed in at the end is sweeter and milder if you have the oven on anyway.
• Cajun mashed potatoes. Stir in a teaspoon or two of Boudreaux T's, our mild Cajun blackening blend: smoky paprika and garlic up front, a touch of brown sugar, thyme and a whisper of nutmeg and clove, with the heat kept low enough for the whole table. Wonderful under blackened fish or a pork chop.
• Herb mashed potatoes. Chopped fresh chives, parsley or dill folded in at the very end, after the seasoning. Fresh herbs go in last so they stay green.
• Brown butter mashed potatoes. Cook the butter until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn golden, then mash it in. Season with salt and pepper only, so the butter is the star.

Fixing a bowl that went wrong

Too bland: salt first, then pepper, a little at a time. If it still tastes flat after salt, it usually needs fat, not more seasoning, so add another pat of butter. Too salty: mash in another boiled potato or a splash more warm cream, and a spoonful of sour cream helps take the edge off. Gluey: the potatoes were overworked, usually by a blender or food processor. A hand masher or ricer and a light hand keep them fluffy. Gray or watery: they sat in the water too long after draining, so next time let them steam dry for a minute before mashing.

Mashed potatoes are the one dish on the holiday table that gets eaten by everyone, so it is worth getting the seasoning right. Once the potatoes are handled, the bird is next: here is how we season a turkey.

Quick answers

How much salt do you put in mashed potatoes?

Salt the cooking water until it tastes like a well-seasoned soup, roughly a tablespoon per pound of potatoes, then add a small pinch at the end only if the finished mash needs it. Taste before you add more; the butter and milk will have softened the saltiness.

What spices go well in mashed potatoes?

Black pepper and garlic are the classics, and they are all most bowls need. Chives, thyme, rosemary and a little nutmeg are the usual additions. Smoked paprika or a mild Cajun blend turns them into something for a fish or pork dinner.

Can you make mashed potatoes without salt?

Yes. Lean on garlic, onion, black pepper and herbs for flavor, use plenty of butter, and add a little sour cream or lemon for brightness. A salt-free all-purpose blend like Zilch. Nada. None. does this in one step.

Every Flavor Seed blend is USDA Certified Organic, gluten-free and kosher, with no MSG, no fillers and no anti-caking agents, mixed in small batches by our family in Charlotte, North Carolina. Free shipping kicks in at $25, which is about two pouches, so the potato pouch and the turkey pouch can ride together.