Mashed potatoes

I just read about a Milk Street method for cooking mashed potatoes. I've always boiled the potatoes in water, riced them, and stirred in milk, butter, salt, etc. In this method, you simmer them in milk (carefully, to avoid burning the milk), then mash them by hand with butter and nothing else. Anyone ever try this? The finished dish would have to be a lot better to justify the dumping of the milk afterwards, but.....?

I just read about a Milk Street method for cooking mashed potatoes. I've always boiled the potatoes in water, riced them, and stirred in milk, butter, salt, etc. In this method, you simmer them in milk (carefully, to avoid burning the milk), then mash them by hand with butter and nothing else. Anyone ever try this? The finished dish would have to be a lot better to justify the dumping of the milk afterwards, but.....?

This sounds like a variation on Lighthouse Inn potatoes but mashed instead of gratineed. ATK/CC did an spot about a potato dish from the (now defunct) Lighthouse Inn (somewhere in RI or CT, I forget). The potatoes are simmered in milk/cream (and a little baking soda). When tender they are put in a baking dish with more cream and topped with bread crumbs then roasted. I've made this a few times and I actually like them.

That being said, I'm finding there is a lot of "new ways for XYZ" that are circulating through the magazines and cooking shows like the flu.

Never heard of it. On the face of it, it sounds like a good idea but my hunch is that there is no difference in the end.

If I were to change anything about mashed potatoes, I would boil them in chicken stock. I have also steamed my potatoes and I like that as the potatoes seem to have more structure. I don't use milk in them anyway, some butter and a bit of low-fat sour cream. I have also used buttermilk and like that, as well.

My father hated mashed potatoes. Turns out his mother used the water in which she boiled the potatoes instead of milk. Can't say I blame him.

[Jenise]

Never heard of it. On the face of it, it sounds like a good idea but my hunch is that there is no difference in the end.

A friend made these recently. The difference isn't huge. The potatoes are a little richer because they were cooked in a minimal amount of milk (one layer, bottom of a Dutch Oven) and then my friend followed the instructions for 18 T of butter--more than she would have used otherwise.