Add one cup of water or broth/stock to the Instant Pot.
Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks and add to the Instant Pot.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to Sealing.
Press the Manual or Pressure Cook button (depending on model), High Pressure, and set the cook time (using the +/- buttons) to 6 minutes.
When the cooking time is up, perform a quick release using a hold pad holder or towel. Steam will shoot out from the valve so make sure your Instant Pot isn't sitting under kitchen cabinets or shelves.
Add the butter (cut into tablespoon-size pieces) and 1 teaspoon of salt to the cooked potatoes.
Use a hand-mixer or potato masher (my preference) to mash the potatoes with the butter and salt, until you've reached the desired texture.
Add as much cream as needed to reach your desired texture. Taste the potatoes and season with more salt, if needed. Serve warm. I like to drizzle extra melted butter or olive oil over the potatoes before serving.
Notes
*I've used 8 tablespoons of butter in the past and love the results. Using this much butter means I can skip the cream. If you don't want to add cream, you can definitely up the amount of butter used to achieve great results. You could also use milk or half-n-half (just watch those ingredients) in place of the cream.**This recipe was tested and perfected in a 6-quart Instant Pot. If you have a larger Instant Pot (8-quart) you may need to use 1 1/2 cups of water. The 8-quart requires more water to come to pressure.It's very important to go by weight (3lbs) when it comes to the potatoes versus a certain number of potatoes. Potatoes can vary in size, so sticking with 3lbs will ensure success with this method.Keep in mind, the cooking time is 6 minutes. The Instant Pot will take more time to come to pressure.