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Irresistible Mashed Potatoes with Warmly Spiced Brown Butter/Ghee

Irresistible Mashed Potatoes with Warmly Spiced Brown Butter/Ghee

Renée Robinson

How Great are These Mashed Potatoes? Take One Bite and You’ll Have the Answer.

Mashed potatoes are probably one of the most beloved foods of all time. Everyone makes them. But they’ve never been a particular favorite of mine. They’ve always struck me as boring. I’m happy with the first couple of bites, but after that, I’m kind of over it. So, awhile ago I set out to make some that I would actually love and here they are. I first mash a couple pounds of potatoes, russets or Yukon Golds, with butter, cream, and salt, stir in some sliced scallions, cover them and put them to the side while I make the topping. 

I use the Indian technique for blooming spices in ghee, called tadka. When making my ghee I take it as far as I can go before burning the solids. I like mine to have the full flavor of the browned butter. I always use a pound of butter when making ghee because it keeps in a jar in the fridge for a long time and that way I’ll always have it on hand. You can easily make only the required amount for this recipe – 4 tablespoons. I will include directions for making the ghee in the recipe.

After melting the ghee in a small skillet, I add both black and brown mustard seeds and cook them until they pop. I then add smoked sweet paprika, let it cook for no longer than a minute before removing it from the heat, making sure it doesn’t burn. After putting the potatoes into a serving bowl, I pour over the tadka, letting it pool in spots, and finish it with additional sliced scallions. I don’t stir the tadka into the potatoes. I want everyone to get a small pool of the gorgeous browned butter in their serving. 

In my humble opinion, these potatoes can’t get any better. I never ever say that any particular recipe is the “best”, and I won’t do it now. But these potatoes? Well, I highly recommend you give them a try and let me know what you think.

Irresistible Mashed Potatoes with Warmly Spiced Brown Butter/Ghee

Recipe by Renée Robinson
Servings

6

servings

Mashed Potatoes with Brown Butter/Ghee, Scallions, Mustard Seeds, and Smoked Paprika.

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Ingredients

  • Ghee Ingredients
  • 1 pound salted butter

  • Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:
  • 2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces

  • kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, heated until it’s steaming

  • 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature

  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced, divided in half

  • Tadka Ingredients
  • 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) ghee or browned butter

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

  • 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika

Directions

  • Ghee Directions
  • Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt it over medium heat. It will melt, foam, and start to sizzle and crackle. When it stops crackling, the solids will begin to brown. Watch closely while stirring to prevent it from burning. Skim off the foam on top. When the solids reach the very dark brown stage, remove the pan from the heat and strain the ghee into a jar. Cover and refrigerate. I save the solids and freeze them. Those little browned bits add a whole lot of flavor to many different things - baked goods, roasted vegetables, etc.
  • Mashed Potatoes Directions
  • Put the potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add about 1 1/2 teaspoons salt - I never actually measure this amount. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a paring knife. Depending on the potatoes, this usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Drain the water from the potatoes and put them back into the pot. Set over low heat, shaking the pan to allow any excess water to evaporate. Remove from the heat and using your preferred method, either mash with a manual potato masher, put through a potato ricer, etc. Add the butter and warm cream, stirring well. Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed. Stir in half the sliced scallions. Put the lid back on the pan and set aside while you make the tadka. As soon as the tadka is made, spoon the potatoes into a serving bowl, pour the tadka over the top, allowing it to pool in the crevasses of the potatoes, and scatter on the remaining scallions. Enjoy!
  • Tadka Directions
  • Melt the ghee or browned butter in a small skillet over medium high heat. When it’s good and hot, add the mustard seeds. They will pop almost immediately. Stir until they stop popping, add the smoked sweet paprika and cook, while stirring, for 30 seconds to a minute, being careful not to burn the spices. Remove from the heat.

6 Responses

  1. I just saved this recipe on Pinterest under HOLIDAY FOOD IDEAS and also under EAT YOUR VEGGIES. But I’ll be sure to try these potatoes long before Christmas or Thanksgiving! They look fabulous. Thanks, Renee.

    1. Thank you so much, Irene! I can’t wait to hear how you like them. You’re so very welcome!

  2. Hi! Thank you so much for sharing!
    I was wondering. If I can’t get smoked sweet paprika can I use smoked or sweet paprika?

    1. Cary, smoked paprika is the same thing as sweet smoked paprika. You want to be sure to use smoked paprika here. Hope you enjoy it!

  3. Shall I say these look good? Nope, they look delicious!! OMG. They would be wonderful for a Christmas Eve dinner, or any night. Wait until Pat sees them. Yummmm.

    1. A Christmas Eve dinner, you say? Hmmmmmm…😅 I promise these will be on the menu! Thank you, Christina!!

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