The creamiest, dreamiest and most perfectly seasoned mashed potatoes; flavoured with rosemary, topped with crème fraîche and crispy potato skins. This is a side dish that takes centre stage.
I don’t love potatoes. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll eat them – I just don’t think they’re as fantastic as they’re made out to be. But then a friend suggested I try Pierre Koffman’s mashed potato recipe to change my mind. And I may now be a potato convert. I’ve adapted that recipe here and made it a bit extra to share with you. So here we go: rosemary mashed potatoes topped with crème fraîche, fresh chopped chives and crispy potato skins. This recipe is actually pretty easy to make and it’s sure to have everyone going for seconds!
In this Post
- Ingredients
- How to Make Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
- Variations & Substitutions
- Storing & Reheating Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Recipe
Ingredients
Potatoes: Use a starchy potato like Yukon Gold or Agria like I have used. This will help get that creamy texture when mashed.
Oil: Use a high smoke point vegetable oil like canola or rapeseed that you usually would for frying. (Olive oil is not suitable for this recipe)
Water: The actual amount of water you need depends on the size of the pot you are using to cook the potatoes. You want the water to just cover the potatoes by about 1cm.
Salt: Use kosher salt for this recipe. You want the water to be well seasoned when cooking the potatoes but we don’t want the potatoes to taste salty.
Heavy Cream: The cream is what will really smooth out the mashed potatoes so do not omit it! This is also how we infuse the rosemary flavour.
Rosemary: This adds a depth of flavour to your mashed potatoes. You can substitute the rosemary for a different herb such as thyme or tarragon.
Butter: After cutting your butter into cubes, put it back into the refrigerator until ready to use so it melts slower in the hot potatoes.
Crème fraîche: Yes, we have already added cream to the mashed potatoes, but adding crème fraîche, which has some acidity, will actually cut through the richness. You can substitute sour cream if you like. Tip: stir the crème fraîche/sour cream with a spoon to loosen it before serving.
How to Make Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and cooking instructions.
ONE: Wash and peel potatoes. Leave peels to dry and cut potatoes into quarters.
TWO: Fry potato skins in oil then drain and dry.
THREE: Cook potatoes in a large pot on medium heat for 20 minutes then strain in a colander and leave to steam and dry under a clean tea towel.
FOUR: Pass potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Fold cold butter through mashed potatoes.
FIVE: Gently heat cream with rosemary to 80℃. Then strain the cream into the mashed potatoes.
SIX: Fold cream through mashed potatoes until fully incorporated. Serve in a bowl topped with crème frâiche, crispy potato skin and fresh chopped chives.
Variations & Substitutions
As mentioned already, you can substitute the fresh rosemary for thyme or tarragon. You can experiment with different spices too, such as cardamom and star anise. Softer herbs like parsley won’t work for the infusion method. But, you can totally fold some fresh chopped parsley through the mashed potatoes when you add the cream.
If you don’t have room on your stove (or time) to be frying your potato skins, buy a packet of plain potato crisps and crush them over your mashed potatoes instead. Or take it up a notch and add some crispy diced pancetta or bacon to the mix!
Storing & Reheating Leftovers
If you are not planning to eat all your mashed potatoes at once, only garnish what you are serving. The crispy potato skins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of days before losing their crisp.
You can store the mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge (ensure they have fully cooled down before sealing and refrigerating) for a few days.
To reheat, add a small amount of cold water to the mashed potatoes in a saucepan and gently fold them over medium heat until hot. Add more water if they start to dry out.
Frequently Asked Questions
The starches in the potato help to give mashed potatoes their texture and structure; other root vegetables like celeriac or parsnip will also mash well. Using different vegetables such as cauliflower instead of potatoes will not give the same result.
I have used Agria potatoes as they have a good amount of starch. Yukon Gold potatoes would be another good option.
This recipe is best made and served straight away. However, if you do make it ahead, have a look at my storing and reheating section above.
Yes! If you don’t have a potato ricer, a potato masher will work as well. The finer the mash the better.
The Recipe
I’d love to hear how you get on with making this recipe if you try it and how much you enjoyed eating it! Leave a review below for me to read, or tag me on Instagram if you share a photo.
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Rosemary Mashed Potatoes & Crème Fraîche
The creamiest, dreamiest and most perfectly seasoned mashed potatoes; flavoured with rosemary, topped with crème fraîche and crispy potato skins.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 people 1x
Ingredients
- 800 grams potatoes
- 1 litre cold water
- 20 grams salt
- 1/2 cup cooking oil for frying
- 200 grams cold butter (diced into 1cm cubes)
- 100 millilitres heavy cream
- 5 grams rosemary sprig
- 100 grams crème fraîche
- 10 grams fresh chives (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Wash and peel potatoes then place the skins between two paper towels to dry.
- Heat cooking oil in a wide skillet to 170℃. Cook the potato skins in the oil for about 5 minutes until lightly browned then strain oil and leave to dry on a paper towel. Once most of the oil has dried off, toss in a bowl with some flaky sea salt (season to taste).
- Cut potatoes into quarters then place in a wide saucepan with cold water and salt. Bring the water to the boil over high heat then turn the heat down so the water is just simmering. Once you have turned the heat down, cook potatoes for 20 minutes. After this time you should be able to slide a sharp knife in without much resistance, this means the potatoes are ready.
- Strain the potatoes in a colander then leave them to steam and dry with a clean tea towel over them.
- Meanwhile, heat the cream and rosemary over medium-high heat, swirling the cream frequently so it covers the rosemary. Once it reaches 80℃ remove from heat and set aside.
- Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Add the cold butter and quickly but gently fold through until it has melted and fully incorporated. Use large folding movements to ensure you don’t overwork the potato as it will become gluey.
- Strain the cream into the mashed potatoes and gently fold through until fully incorporated.
- Serve the mashed potatoes in a serving bowl, topped with the crème fraîche. Crush the crispy potato skins with your hands over the top and finish with the chopped chives.
Notes
- When doubling or tripling the recipe, only use enough water to cover the potatoes.
- The key to achieving the light yet creamy texture for mashed potatoes is the fast but gentle folding of the cold butter and then the cream.
- Be careful not to over heat the cream or it will burn. If you do not have a thermometer, heat until it starts steaming but do not let it bubble.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
Annie says
Huge step up from my standard milk & butter mash. Recipe is super easy to follow and great to make the mash in advance/ use the reheating instructions to cut down on the stress of preparing a meal for a larger group.