Mashed Potatoes

The best mashed potatoes are made with Yukon Gold or fingerling potatoes. Yukon Golds are more practical because they are bigger and you will have fewer to peel. If you can’t find either of these, use russet potatoes, preferably labeled Idaho. (Russets from other places often turn dark when exposed to air.)

Once you have peeled your potatoes, cut them into quarters—or even smaller if you are in a rush—and put them in a pot with just enough water to come about halfway up the sides of