Skip to main content

Spice Up Your Mashed Potatoes with This Recipe from 'Milk Street'

Daniel Hautzinger
Mashed Potatoes with Caraway-Mustard Butter from Milk Street. Photo: Connie Miller of CB Creatives
Photo: Connie Miller of CB Creatives

Christopher Kimball's Milk Street airs Saturdays at 3:00 pm.

Not that mashed potatoes aren't delicious on their own, but sometimes you want to spice them up a bit for something a bit more special. Try this version from Christopher Kimball's Milk Street that incorporates a technique learned from Indian cooking.

Mashed Potatoes with Caraway-Mustard Butter

These mashed potatoes are classically creamy, but get a kick of sweet heat from horseradish. Infusing browned butter with caraway and mustard seeds and drizzling the mixture onto the mashed potatoes is a technique we picked up from Indian cooking. The spices add a complexity that balances the richness of the dish. We preferred buttery Yukon Gold potatoes; use potatoes of approximately the same size to ensure even cooking. Any brand of refrigerated prepared horseradish worked well.

Note: Don't rush browning the butter. It needs to cook slowly over medium heat to properly brown (you'll see brown spots on the bottom of the saucepan).

Start to finish: 40 minutes (10 minutes active)

Servings: 8

Ingredients

4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
Kosher salt
5 bay leaves
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
10 tbsp (1 ¼ sticks) salted butter, divided
1 3/4 cups half-and-half, warmed
1/2 cup drained prepared white horseradish, liquid reserved
1 tbsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed
1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
2 tbsp finely chopped chives

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, combine the potatoes, 1 tbsp salt, bay leaves, and garlic. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high. Reduce to medium, then cook until a skewer inserted into the potatoes meets no resistance, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander set in the sink. Discard the bay leaves, then return the potatoes to the pot.

2. In a small saucepan over medium-low, melt 6 tbsp of the butter. Add the melted butter to the potatoes. Using a potato masher, mash until smooth. Stir in the half-and-half, horseradish, and 3 tbsp of the reserved horseradish liquid. Taste and season with salt. Cover and set over low heat to keep warm.

3. Return the saucepan to medium and add the remaining 4 tbsp butter and the caraway and mustard seeds. Cook, gently swirling the pan, until the butter is browned and the seeds are fragrant and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into fine mesh strainer set over a small liquid measuring cup. 

4. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl, then drizzle with the flavored butter and sprinkle with chives.