The sweet and savory caramel aroma of brown butter is mixed into these creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes. This simple side dish of Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes is next level with additional brown butter drizzled on top and hints of sage and thyme mixed in.
Other rustic homestyle side dishes to try include these honey bourbon roasted carrots and these southern green beans.
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are a classic side dish with a heartwarming appeal so perfect during the fall season. These brown butter garlic mashed potatoes with the toasty-tasting brown butter make any meal infinitely better.
Whether pairing them with your Thanksgiving turkey or serving them under a hearty beef stew they’re sure to deliciously warm you up.
How to Make Brown Butter Potatoes
- Don’t overboil the potatoes: Add the potatoes to cold salted water and bring to a boil. Let boil for 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are just tender. Overboiling them will create a glue-like texture when mashed.
- Drain but don’t rinse: drain the potatoes but don’t rinse them in water after. Begin to mash them right away.
- Use a potato masher or electric mixer: sometimes using a blender or immersion blender causes the potatoes to turn out waxy. Using a handheld potato masher or blender gives you a smooth consistency without over blending them.
- Heat the herbs, butter, and cream separately: After mashing the potatoes don’t add the herbs, butter, and milk or cream straight to the potatoes. You want the milk mixture to be warm as well as the herbs to cook slightly in the mixture.
- Add the cream Fraiche or sour cream after stirring in the butter mixture: do this step as one of the last ones to allow the creaminess to soak into the mixed mashed potatoes.
- Don’t let the butter burn too much: essentially brown butter is burned, but be careful not to let it burn too much as it will create black sediment on the bottom of the pan that won’t taste well mixed in with your potatoes.
How to Season Mashed Potatoes
These brown butter potatoes boast a strong flavor, which comes from a buttery herb sauce mixed with the toasty nutty flavor of the brown butter. When making the butter mixture, which gets stirred into the mashed potatoes after they have been mashed, any combination of spices can be added.
Below are a few additional ideas that will work well with the other ingredients in this recipe:
- Herbs de Provence + Thyme + Salt
- Flavored Salt + Rosemary + Thyme
- Paprika + Cayenne Pepper + Thyme
More Fall Side Dishes
Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 10 tablespoons Butter divided
- ½ teaspoon Ground Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Sage chopped
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Thyme
- ½ cup Creme Fraiche
Instructions
- Fill a large stockpot with water and add chopped potatoes. Salt the water and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- In a separate pot heat the milk, 4 tablespoons of the butter, pepper, fresh sage, and thyme, until the butter has melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Drain the potatoes, without rinsing and return to the pot. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth, or use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mash until just combined. Add the butter mixture and creme fraiche.
- In a small pot melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Allow the butter to foam and turn brown in color before removing it from the burner. Pour over the mashed potatoes.
