Butter, olive oil, and fresh herbs make for a lightened-up take on traditional mashed potatoes. Serve these potatoes alone or with homemade mushroom gravy.
Place the potatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt in a pot, and add just enough water to cover the potatoes. Peeling the potatoes is optional. I personally like to peel most of the skin, leaving behind some of the nutrient-rich skin. You may also remove the peels once the potatoes are soft (see step 3).
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a lively simmer. Cook the potatoes until they're soft when pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes).
Drain the potatoes from the water. If you didn't peel the potatoes, and you want to remove the peels before mashing, rinse each potato with cold water and carefully remove the peels. Place the potatoes back in the pot.
Add the olive oil, butter, and herbs to the potatoes, and mash (a potato masher works best) until you reach the desired consistency. Add one more tablespoon of butter or olive oil (if needed), if you'd like a creamier mashed potato.
Finally, stir in the salt and pepper. I like to add the salt and pepper last since you can adjust the amount to your desired taste. I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and slowly increasing the amount. I also like to add an additional drizzle of olive oil to the potatoes before serving.
Notes
*Whether you peel the potatoes or not, you'll still want to cut the potatoes in half (for small and medium potatoes) or quarters (for large potatoes). Make sure the potato pieces are relatively the same size. **You can stick with one herb (example: parsley) or add a mixture (for example: rosemary, basil, and parsley). I use salted Kerrygold Butter in this recipe. Salted or unsalted butter may be used.