Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes.
As your resident drama queen, I find it pertinent to tell you that these are the best mashed potatoes ever.
I know. Ugh. How annoying is THAT?!
You don’t have to agree. Different strokes for different folks. And since I’m deep in the throes of brownbutteraholicism, my own thoughts may be skewed.
But here’s the deal. This whole browning butter thing? It allows you to use LESS. Yes. Less butter. Not that I have any idea why on Earth you’d want to use less, or why you should use less, but the clothes hanging in my (and your!) closet will agree: this can be good.
Kind of cruel. But good.
I’ve only told you this about a bazilion times over the last few weeks, but brown butter is where it’s at. It deepens the flavor of dishes like something I’ve never had before, and I can easily compare it to adding a bit of bacon grease for flavoring or dissolving anchovies in your parmesan garlic sauce before tossing in a cup of penne.
Which, uh… can I just tell you that last night I did that very thing? I made some pasta with a lot of anchovies and didn’t tell anyone until after they ate it. That.was.awesome.
Even if they did want to pie me in the face. Like sixty times.
Then… then I made a bunch of these cute mini double chocolate donuts with tons of equally as cute rainbow sprinkles and glanced at Mr. How Sweet claiming “look what I made!” as I watched him shove the plate to the side (!)… then I whined and complained that I couldn’t believe that he wasn’t going to eat any so I strategically placed the plate in front of his face while we putzed about and yes… nearly 20 minutes later the entire plate of donuts was gone, as was not only a can of diet Coke but also a diet Mountain Dew. And then I threw another tantrum because he ate alllllll the donuts without saving me any.
What. Ever.
Oh… uh, see this little beater?
Yeah. It’s partner decided to fly off the handle one day (um… literally) last week and nearly take my eye out. So now I’m mixing certain things with one beater attached to my hand mixer. It makes me batty.
So really… brown butter is just… that something something that makes other somethings amazing. It’s like the cinnamon crust on a holiday almond, the chunky belted wrapped around the waist of a cute dress, the extra glitter in your MAC Dazzleglass, the tight t-shirt missing from Gerard Butler’s body and the pretzel m&m’s hiding in that bowl of trail mix. None of those things are truly necessary to make each fabulous, but that leeeetle extra tweak makes the end result extra delicious. You know it’s true.
I guess the whole moral of this story is that if you go three more seconds without brown butter in your life, I’m really going to have to reevaluate our relationship? And I just don’t feel like doing any extra work this Monday.
Browned Butter Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup of milk, whole will taste best, but 2% tastes great too!
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Peel and chop potatoes, then add to a large pot. Fill with cold water – stopping just as the water reaches about an inch about the potatoes. Heat over high heat and let come to a boil, then cook for 25-30 minutes, or until fork tender.
- When potatoes have about 5 minutes left, add butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Whisking continuously, cook until little brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan, then remove immediately from heat.
- Drain potatoes, then add back to the pot, turning the heat to low. Mash with a potato masher to break up the chunks, then add in butter, milk and salt. Mash some more, or use a hand mixer to whip potatoes until creamy. At this point, taste and see if you desire any more flavoring (salt, pepper, additional brown butter, etc).
- Garnish with fresh sage and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
I guess I’m also a sageaholic. Oh well. At least my addictions can be fried.
151 Comments on “Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes.”
Aaaand I love mashed potatoes. Like really really love mashed potatoes.
brownbutteraholicism and sageaholic.
love it.
and those potatoes are so my husband or my dad. they would go ga-ga for them. I’d go gaga to find extra glitter in my Dazzleglass :)
The eating everything and not leaving any for anyone else he gets from his Dad ;o(
Brown butter is so where it’s at. These look delicious… and it’s 7 am. Potatoes are breakfast food, right?
x
It’s perfectly acceptable to just eat a plate of this for dinner right?
Obviously.
yum! I’m surprised you haven’t found a way to sneak the sage into the sweet dishes yet
I know…
Hello Thanksgiving dinner. Sounds like these will rock the socks off of family at Thanksgiving!
oh man. mashed potatoes. brown butter. yes. please.
Love browned butter! This weekend we had angel hair pasta with browned butter and topped with grated ricotta salada. It’s to die for!!
That… sounds incredible.
Yuum!!!!! Mashed potatoes are awesome, and I bet these taste really amazing!
Mash is about the only thing my husband makes in our house. Brown butter might be a step too far away from the traditional….. ;-)
I’m going for a swim in there! Yum!
Unbelievable! Could you imagine these with sweet potatoes? And a topping of nuts? Drool…
Have I mentioned you’re my favorite? Because you are.
You know I can’t have butter, but I swear, when I cook with it for the boys, it makes me weak behind the knees and a good way! The smell is just incredible and the end product so incredibly luscious! These look amazing!
I love the mashed potatoes and adding the sage is beautiful!!
I am THIS CLOSE to pretending that’s a bowl of browned butter face mask, and rubbing it all over my face, and licking it off.
I’d do this alone, so…don’t look at me like that.
oh, my… this must be incredibly tasty… I like the idea of using less butter when it doesn’t interfere with the flavor, and this is it!
I am thinking of using it in my mashed cauliflower recipe, I’m sure it would get a nice lift from it
Mmmm, I love mashed potatoes, and I feel like anything with the words ‘browned butter’ automatically has to taste delicious. That’s interesting that it makes you use less butter, though.. fun fact for the day.
I love, love, love mashed potatoes! I have never tried making them with browned butter, but I will remedy that immediately! YUM! Jessica- I laughed so many times during this post, but especially when I saw your single beater in that bowl of potatoes (and your explanation for it)-you are hilarious! :-)
That single beater will be the death of me!
i just smelled the browned butter smell in my head and fell in love. i don’t mind using less butter as long as it’s still got the flavah ;)
I don’t even care for mashed potatoes all that much and I want to eat these.
Somehow you managed to make a shirtless Gerard Butler have something in common with a bowl of Mashed Potatoes.
And that makes you my new role model.
Mmmm brown butter! Let’s also pretend that, like brown bread, it’s healthier than its lighter counterpart. . ;)
I can do that. :)
I think I might agree. Yuummmmmm!
yumm…yumm..looks tasty …am from India..We generally fry potatoes with indian spices and enjoy with sambar Rice. This week-end would give it a shot :)
I have yet to brown butter, but then you had to pull the mashed potatoes card, and now, what am I supposed to do.
Clearly I’m supposed to make browned butter mashed taters.
Yes you are.
brown butter makes the world go round.
I put sage in my grocery cart this week because of you <3
At the risk of being redundant, I’m just gonna say AGAIN that you’re my hero…
http://gram-cracker.com/blog/2011/11/is-it-soup-yet/
Wow – so creamy and delicious looking. Never tried browned butter in mashed pots but I think it looks worth trying!
i could eat this whole bowl!! i love potatoes and butter!!
I love you.
P.S. If there was such a thing as brown butter alcohol, we might be in some real trouble.
Seriously.
Totally with you on the browned butter thing! It is really fabulous. I don’t make mashed potatoes very often because I don’t enjoy peeling potatoes, but I will make the extra effort soon, all in honor of browned butter. =)
I’m the same way… holidays are the only times I actually peel the potatoes. Usually I just buy yukon golds and mash with the skin on!
I love how these are so simple! I just got assigned “potatoes: for one of my side dishes for Thanksgiving. These are it!
You are def a sageaholic! ;)
a thanksgiving staple! and i love brown butter. what i also love is the fact that you are still using a hand mixer with just one beater. that is fabulous.
It’s funny because mashed potatoes really aren’t that difficult to make yet it seems like I only eat them on holidays.
Yes. You could add brown butter to cat crap and I’d eat it. Brown butter can do no wrong :-)
ok, dumb question cause who would want to do this, but, how long can you keep brown butter before you use it? I’d love to do this for Thanksgiving, juggling too much on my stove. Can I brown the butter say, 30 min. to an hour, before adding it? Thanks.
Oh yes, definitely! Not a dumb question at all. Actually, I’m pretty sure you could even make it today, store it in the fridge, and use it when you need it!
I’ve never really been a mashed potatoes fan but I would happily gobble these up! They sound delicious.
I’m signed up for mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving…And now they will include browned butter. My family will thank you I’m sure.
These are on the “must make” list for our mini after Thanksgiving leftovers feast on the Saturday after turkey day!
I honestly never make mashed potatoes. Like ever. Maybe this needs to change? :-)
First off – that recipe looks fabulous! My sister and I are in charge of Thanksgiving this year and these are now on the menu! And I know how you feel about the beater mishap, one of mine literally snapped in half while I was mixing cake batter! Makes mixing things more challenging now…kind of like a mini workout, right? :)
You are a genius!
I have an insane love for buttery mashed potatoes. You make me wish I could have these for breakfast!
Jessica- I know I am supposed to be creative at recipe concoctions, but I have been stumped about what to do with the mashed potatoes. Thank you brown butter, indeed the greatest ingredient on earth. I am totally serving these next week!
Your potatoes look perfect! Yes ma’am. They certainly do!
These look DELICIOUS! I was feeling a bit of your brown butter obsession this weekend, so when I was making Pioneer Woman’s creamy mashed potato recipe this weekend, I used some brown butter. But before I browned it, I melted it in a saucepan and let some crushed garlic cloves sit in it for half an hour or so. Yummm……
Oh yum.