Creamy Rustic Mashed Potatoes Recipe

smooth vs chunky potatoes? what's your pick

I’m a smooth mash person most of the time. Like, 9 times out of 10 I want it silky. But every now and then I’ll be plating something really soft; braised beef, slow cooked ribs, something that barely holds itself together on the fork, and I just know. Smooth mash isn’t it tonight. You put soft next to soft and the whole plate kind of just... mushes into one texture. There’s nothing to bite into. A rustic mash fixes that. It gives the plate something to hold onto, a little contrast, and suddenly everything on the plate makes more sense together.

Here’s the thing though; this is one recipe. The base is the same whether you want it smooth or rustic. The only difference is how long you mash. Take it all the way and you get that classic silky, creamy mash. Stop a little sooner and you’ve got this beautiful rustic texture with a little bite to it. Same ingredients, same method, two completely different sides. So really you’re getting a choose your own adventure recipe here.

Also;

white pepper: if you've never used it, it's not just black pepper without the color. It has this earthy, almost fermented warmth to it. Less sharp, more of a slow pop. Black pepper would work fine, but white pepper just melts into the mash without too much contrast anything. And of course, it keeps your potatoes looking like one smooth creamy color

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