The only mashed potatoes recipe you’ll ever need

Mashed potatoes are the quintessential, goes-with-anything side. They’re always a crowd-pleaser, too.

People have gone to all sorts of elaborate lengths - in equipment and ingredients — to achieve what they claim is the perfect mashed potato recipe. But you can create a beautiful bowl of spuds with nothing more than a pot, a wooden spoon and a handful of pantry staples.

I prefer to use the wooden spoon to mash the potatoes rather than a masher (which can make things gluey) or a potato ricer (don’t own one), especially because of the slightly rustic texture you get with a few soft chunks embedded in the mash. If you want super-smooth potatoes and do own a ricer, go ahead and bust it out.

A note on the boilin g: Many recipes call for starting the potatoes in cold water to achieve even cooking. Because the potatoes are cut into smaller chunks in this recipe, I found they cooked through at a uniform — not to mention faster — pace when added to the boiling water.

The original version of this recipe calls for Yukon Gold (yellow-fleshed) potatoes for a creamy result, but after my local grocery store was con- tinually out of them or peddling green specimens, I gave up and went with the ubiquitous and cheaper russets. And you know what? The result was wonderfully silky. I didn’t need massive amounts of fat, either. Using extra-virgin olive oil in addition to the butter provides a rich texture and clean flavor that doesn’t mask the potato nuance as much of as all-dairy fat would.

These mashed potatoes are great the way they are. But you should still feel free to dress them up with whatever accou- trements you like, whether it’s crumbled bacon, grated cheese, chives or an extra pat of melting butter. The fresh gar- lic that is boiled and mashed with the potatoes imparts a mild and sweet flavor; if you like things more pungent, you can add garlic powder to taste (Trader Joe’s has the most fla- vorful one I’ve tried).

It’s difficult to not just eat the mashed potatoes straight out of the pot, but if you’re feeding a crowd and are inter- estedinaservingbowlpresentation that will help keep the potatoes warm, try heating the bowl by filling it with boiling water and letting it sit for a few minutes. Discard the water, dry the bowl and addthe potatoes, as artfully scooped as you want.