Red Skin Mashed Potatoes

5 from 88 votes

These Red Skin Mashed Potatoes require no peeling and are loaded with butter, sour cream, and garlic. This side dish pairs perfectly with just about anything and is perfect for holiday dinners. Plus mashed potatoes freeze great!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 253kcal

Author: Brianna May

Equipment

Ingredients

3 pounds washed skin on whole red potatoes halved*
32 ounces (4 cups) water or broth*
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3-4 cloves garlic pressed or minced finely
¾ - 1 cup half and half plus more as needed*
¾ cup full fat sour cream*
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ - 1 cup freshly shredded or grated cheese* optional

Instructions

Place the potato halves directly into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour the chicken broth on top. Option: Place potatoes in a large pot. Fill it with water or broth so the potatoes are completely covered. Bring to a boil and boil for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender.
Place the lid on the pot and be sure the valve is switched to the sealing position. Select Pressure Cook (manual) and High Pressure. Set the timer to 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, quick release (valve switched to venting) immediately and turn the pot off.
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter over medium heat. Sauté the garlic in it for 1-2 minutes.
Turn the heat to low and add the half and half, sour cream, salt, pepper, and cheese (if using). Stir until smooth.
Drain the potatoes. Mash the potatoes using a ricer, handheld masher, or electric mixer.
Stir in the butter mixture and garnish with additional butter pats, chives, and cracked pepper if desired.

Notes

Water/Broth: If I have chicken broth on hand, I like to use it to infuse a little more flavor while boiling the potatoes. Water also works perfectly.
Half and Half: Swap for milk or heavy cream. Milk is lighter while heavy cream is richer. I like half and half because it is in the middle in terms of fat content.
Sour Cream: While reduced fat sour cream can be used, full fat results in smoother and creamier potatoes so I highly recommend it.
Use full fat ingredients. While low fat sour cream or lower fat milks can be used for this recipe, full fat dairy products yield the creamiest and most flavor mashed potatoes.
Leave the skin on. The skin adds delicious flavor and texture. Plus not peeling the potatoes saves time!
Be sure to heat the cold ingredients. Cooking the garlic makes it less pungent. Heating the dairy mixes into the potatoes better and prevents the mash from getting cold.
Brown the butter. Before you add the garlic, heat the butter until it becomes foamy and brown bits form.
Add cheese. Add ½ - 1 cup of cheese to the butter mixture on the stove, like cheddar, parmesan, gruyere, or pepper jack. Add an extra splash of half and half if the potatoes are too thick.

Nutrition