How to Make Perfect Mashed Potatoes in the Microwave
Mashed potatoes are as active as you want them to be. Do you want to clear them? Great. Want to kiss them? Also great. Don’t you do it? As you may have guessed, it’s still great. I don’t think I’ve ever made the same mashed potatoes twice. From cooking methods to add-ons and the potatoes themselves, there are just too many variables and tweaking those variables is a big part of the fun.
Recently, however, I have become very interested in frying in the microwave. It’s fast. It’s easy. It doesn’t turn my kitchen, which gets warmer every day, into a steam room. The potatoes are steamed in their own moisture, so no draining is required. The only limiting factor is how much potatoes you can microwave.
Conversely, this is the perfect way to make small amounts of mashed potatoes for a couple of people, especially if you only have a few chicken legs. (Please. I beg you: no, who ever wants some mashed potatoes ??? Comments below. I’m so tired.)
Some microwave recipes require you to melt butter and heat any dairy products. I never do this. The heat generated by the nuclear potatoes melts butter perfectly, and the amount of milk or cream I add is not enough to cool them down very much. To be honest, the potatoes are very hot from the microwave – you can cool them down a little. The recipe you see below is based on bare bones (or bare legs), but this is done on purpose. You can freely zoom in and out, tweak and riff as you like. (If you need inspiration, try some onion sauce and carry on.)
Mashed potatoes for two in the microwave
Ingredients:
- About a pound of potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (I usually use 4 washed, unpeeled yukons)
- 2 large pinches of salt
- 2 tablespoons butter (about 1/2 tablespoon per potato)
- 1 tablespoon half and half (or cream or milk)
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise (optional)
Place the potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl or dish, cover with plastic wrap, and make a half-inch cut. Cook the potatoes in the microwave for 9-12 minutes (depending on how many potatoes you have) until you can easily pierce them with a fork. Remove from the microwave and knead with a large fork, large wooden spoon, or mashed potatoes to help evaporate.
Add butter and puree until melted, then add half and mayonnaise and mash again. Even if you don’t like mayonnaise, I recommend it – it really helps emulsify hydrophobic (oily) hydrophilic (watery) ones. Try it and then season and decorate the dish as you like.