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The Best Cheesy Mash

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • Total Time35 minutes
  • YieldServes 4 as a base 1x

Smooth, glossy, properly cheesy mashed potato made with Maris Pipers, warm milk and butter and plenty of mature cheddar. The base for every Mashed Up dish on the blog.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into even 4 cm chunks
  • 1 tbsp fine sea salt, for the cooking water
  • 120 ml whole milk
  • 60 g unsalted butter
  • 150 g mature cheddar, coarsely grated
  • 1/2 tsp English mustard
  • 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
  • Fine sea salt, to taste

Optional additions

  • 30 g Parmesan, finely grated
  • 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled (boiled with the potatoes)

Instructions

  1. Put the potato chunks in a large pan and cover with cold water by about 3 cm. Add the tablespoon of salt and bring to the boil.
  2. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides into a chunk with absolutely no resistance. Do not boil hard, as it knocks the potatoes about and makes them waterlogged.
  3. Drain thoroughly in a colander, then return the potatoes to the empty hot pan. Set over a low heat for 2 minutes, shaking occasionally, until you can see steam rising and the surfaces look slightly floury. Do not skip this step.
  4. Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter together in a small pan or the microwave until the butter has melted and the milk is steaming but not boiling.
  5. Take the potato pan off the heat and mash immediately while the potatoes are as hot as possible, using a potato ricer or a hand masher. Never use a food processor, blender or electric whisk.
  6. Add the warm milk and butter mixture in two or three additions, beating firmly with a wooden spoon between each, until the mash is smooth and glossy.
  7. Stir in the mustard and white pepper. Taste and season with salt now, before the cheese goes in.
  8. Off the heat, add the grated cheddar in two handfuls, stirring firmly until each is fully melted before adding the next.
  9. If the mash has cooled too much for the cheese to melt, return the pan to the very lowest heat for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Do not let it bubble or the cheese will split.
  10. Taste again and adjust the salt, remembering that cheddar is already salty. Stir through the spring onions if using, and serve immediately.

Notes

The two steps everyone skips: Steam-drying the drained potatoes in the hot pan for 2 minutes, and warming the milk and butter before adding them. Together they are the difference between glossy mash and watery, gluey mash, and they cost you three minutes.

The mistake to avoid: Never use a food processor, blender or electric whisk. The blades rupture the starch cells and release free starch, turning mash into an elastic paste within seconds. There is no recovery. A ricer or a hand masher only.

Make ahead: Hold it for 30 to 40 minutes by covering the surface directly with buttered baking paper and setting the pan over barely simmering water. Or refrigerate for up to 2 days and reheat in a pan with a splash of warm milk, beating until smooth and piping hot.

Freezing: Cheesy mash freezes better than plain mash because of the fat content. Freeze in portions, thaw fully in the fridge, and reheat in a pan with extra milk, beating hard. Expect a slightly less smooth texture.

Variations: Increase to 200 g cheddar plus 30 g Parmesan for a very rich mash. Boil 4 garlic cloves with the potatoes and mash them in. Stir through sliced spring onions for champ. Use 2 tsp wholegrain mustard for a sharper mash that suits sausages. Spread in a dish, top with cheese and grill for 5 minutes for a blistered finish.

Equipment: A large saucepan, a colander, a potato ricer or hand masher, a small pan for the milk, a wooden spoon and a box grater.

Allergen note: Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.

Take particular care with the milk, butter, cheddar and Parmesan (milk) and the English mustard (mustard). Parmesan is made with animal rennet, so is not suitable for a vegetarian diet unless a vegetarian alternative is used. Allergen information must be confirmed by The Cozy Bowl before it is relied upon.

This is a home recipe inspired by a dish or flavour available at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/best-cheesy-mash-recipe/