Mashed potatoes with red skin are buttery, creamy, made with 4 ingredients, and are ready in under 30 minutes! No cream needed, SUPER easy.
Red skinned mashed potatoes are great, not just because they are potatoes, my favorite vegetable. The texture from the skins make them the best! Red potatoes have a pretty thin skin, so when it's mashed into the potatoes it's not too thick. No need to peel the potatoes, just slice, boil, and mash!
It's no secret that we love butter and potatoes. Boursin Twice Baked Potatoes, Easy Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes, allll of the tatoes, all of the ways. And although I love them with garlic, potatoes CAN taste amazing without it!
You can either use a potato masher or an electric mixer to make mashed potatoes with red skin, I have done both and like both versions. Using a hand held potato masher will have slightly chunkier results and is made in one pot, which we love. A stand mixer is definitely faster and a little smoother in texture. It just depends on what you prefer!
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Why I Love This Recipe
- Taste: Buttery, salty, and creamy, with a little texture from the red potato skins.
- Ease: Boiling the sliced potatoes in water, mashing them, and adding the extras are all it takes! No peeling or baking required.
- Time: It takes 5-10 minutes to boil the water, and 15-20 minutes to cook the potatoes fully, and another 5 to mash them.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Red potatoes - colorful, with a nice texture for mashing. With the right amount of butter and milk, they don't taste gluey but are nice and creamy.
- Butter - I ALWAYS use salted butter in mashed potatoes. It tastes simply the best.
- Milk - I use whole milk, no cream. It is healthier, and tastes just as delicious without all of the heavy calories.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Add ½ teaspoon garlic powder for garlic red skin mashed potatoes.
- Stir in 1 cup of grated cheese. Parmesan, cheddar, asiago, or Boursin cheese are all good choices. Yum!
- Add fresh chopped parsley on top for garnish to impress.
- Use any plant based milk in place of the whole milk.
🧑🍳 Instructions
- Step 1. In a large pot, boil water and 1 teaspoon salt over high heat. Wash potatoes and scrub with a produce only brush (don't use a brush used for cleaning or dishes).
- Step 2. Slice potatoes into ½ inch pieces and place in pot of boiling water. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
TIP: Adding salt to the water helps to flavor the potatoes as they're cooking, and to draw out the starch to help them be fluffy when mashed instead of gluey.
- Step 3. Remove from heat and drain all water out of potatoes.
- Step 4. Use hand held potato masher or stand mixer with paddle attachment to mash potatoes with butter.
- Step 5. Add milk and salt last, and mix well. I like to start with half of the salt and milk and add more as needed or to taste. Optional: add garlic powder and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve warm. Enjoy!
📌 Top Tips & Hacks
- Scrub the potatoes with a scrub brush (one just for veggies!) don't just rinse them. There's always a little dirt on potatoes, no matter how clean they look.
- Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment for super easy and quick mashing! It takes less than a minute to make perfect potatoes.
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Red potatoes have thinner skins, that are nice and tender when left on. They also add color and texture to the mashed potatoes making them more southern homestyle.
While most potatoes taste similar, red potatoes have a sugar content in the medium range on the potato spectrum. They don't necessarily taste sweet, but have a mild flavor and thinner skin that's ideal for cooking with it left on.
Garlic, onion powder, parmesan cheese, a little more salt, and ground pepper are all good options to start with. Start with small amounts, and add more to taste.
Refrigerate: 4-5 days in an airtight container. Add a Tablespoon or two of milk when reheating to make it creamy again.
Freeze: up to 3 months
🥔 What To Serve With Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes
- Meat - we like steak, chicken, pork chops, roast beef or slow cooked pork, or ham with orange glaze.
- Breads - like Homemade Yeast Rolls, Sourdough Discard Cornbread or Honey Butter Cornbread, Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits, etc.
- Salads - one of my favorite unique salads is Roasted Broccoli Salad or Creamy Lemon Pasta Salad.
- Vegetables - you can't go wrong with a simple steamed vegetable like broccoli, peas, squash, or carrots with a little butter and salt. One of my favorites is crockpot ham and cabbage for St. Patricks Day!
🍽️ More Holiday Side Dish Recipes
Did You Try This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Make sure to leave a star rating and a comment below the recipe card. I love hearing from you, and it is so helpful to other readers! Better yet, share it with family and friends. Thank you!!
📝 Printable Recipe
Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water and 1 teaspoon salt over high heat.
- Wash potatoes and scrub with a produce only brush.
- Slice potatoes into ½ inch pieces and place in pot of boiling water. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
- Remove from heat and drain all water out of potatoes.
- Use hand held potato masher or stand mixer with paddle attachment to mash potatoes with butter.
- Add milk and salt last, and mix well. Optional: add garlic powder and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Hi, I'm Sara!
Registered Nurse by day, food blogger by weekend. Perfect dip tester & snack quester. I love short walks on the beach and long naps. Sharing my love for food, one bite at a time.
Will says
The whole milk was the touch! I duplicated your recipe and it was a hit. Delicious and savory. Thank you very much...
Sara says
You’re so welcome! And I’m so glad you came back to tell me, it always makes my day.
Sue says
We liked these not too much butter and very creamy, I like skin in my mashed potatoes. I like to add a little garlic to mine.