My Wasabi Mashed Potatoes are creamy smooth with a nice amount of heat from the wasabi. Perfect with a simply seasoned piece of sautéed or roasted fish. Typically, if I am serving fish with wasabi mashed potatoes, the only seasoning I add to the fish is salt, it doesn’t need anything else.
Best Potatoes for Mashing
- High-Starch Potatoes: My Dad made the best mashed potatoes, and he always used the high starch Russet potatoes. Russets are a ‘floury’ potato that has low moisture content and more of a fluffy texture when cooked, making them my go-to for light, creamy, smooth mashed potatoes.
- Medium-Starch Potatoes: Yukon Gold potatoes are somewhere in between the Russet and the Red Potato having characteristics of both a waxy and a floury potato. These will produce a dense, creamy mashed potato.
- Low-Starch / Waxy Potatoes: Red Potatoes are what’s called a ‘waxy’ potato and will hold their shape when cooked, they make an interesting niche / rustic mashed potato, but not what we are looking for in this or any traditional mashed potato recipe.
How to Make the Best Mashed Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes and cut into equal size pieces, approximately 2-inches. If you choose to leave the skins on, be sure to scrub the skins very well to remove all dirt.
- Boil the potatoes in well-salted water. Anytime a recipe calls for boiling veggies, potatoes, or pasta, in salted water, it should taste like the ocean. Not enough salt and you’ll have bland mashed potatoes in the end, and no one wants bland mashed potatoes!
- Don’t over boil. You just want them to cook to the point that the tip of a knife will pierce the potato with little resistance. Over-boiling will cause the potatoes to fall apart in the water.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot pot uncovered. Let them steam for a minute or two to dry out and rid the pot of excess moisture.
- Combine the butter, dairy, and other ingredients in another pot. Bring to a simmer before adding them to the hot potatoes. Never add cold ingredients to your hot potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes by hand, not with a machine. There is a lot of starch in these potatoes, and the mechanical action of a mixer or food processor releases more of the starch. This has the potential of making the finished mashed potatoes gluey and gummy. If this happens, you can rescue gummy mashed potatoes by stirring in more hot cream or stock. Rather than light and fluffy, they will be a lot creamier, but at least they won’t be gummy.
Wasabi Mashed Potato Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes: High starch potatoes will make the best wasabi mashed potatoes. Light fluffy and perfect the best vehicle to carry all the other flavors.
- Half & Half: Many people use heavy cream or milk in their mashed potatoes. I split the difference and use half & half, I find it has the perfect amount of flavor, fat, and texture. Creating the absolute best-mashed potatoes!
- Wasabi: I use prepared wasabi. The brand I use is labeled HOT! Most wasabi you buy at the grocery store is artificial wasabi made with horseradish and other flavorings added. And although it seems like a lot of wasabi in the recipe, its flavor mellows in the mashed potatoes and is the perfect side with a piece of fish.
- Unsalted Butter and Salt: I always use unsalted butter for everything so that I am in control of how much salt is in my recipes.
Here is my recipe for Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
Wasabi Mashed Potatoes
My Wasabi Mashed Potatoes are creamy smooth with a nice amount of heat from the wasabi. Perfect with a simply seasoned piece of sautéedor roasted fish. Typically, if I am serving fish with these potatoes, the only seasoning I add to the fish is salt, it doesn’t need anything else.
Servings 8
Calories 213kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Russet Potatoes Peeled, 2-inch dice
- 1/2 Cup Half & Half Simmering
- 2 Tablespoons Wasabi Hot (Temps vary, read the label, adjust quantity as needed
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter Melted
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Place diced potatoes in a small pot covered in salted water over high heat. Water should have enough salt to taste like the ocean. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook at a low boil until a knife pierces the potato easily. Approximately 20-25 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot over low heat. Let the potatoes steam uncovered for about 1-minute to evaporate some of the excess moisture.
- Combine all the other ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn. (or microwave until steaming hot).
- Add the hot liquid to the potatoes and use a hand masher, mash the potatoes until smooth, about 1-minute
Nutrition
Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 501mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 408IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
