Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Cooking mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot turns this classic comfort food into a hands-free enterprise that can cook reliably and independently while you do other work. A Thanksgiving timesaver. 

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and halved/quartered (large potatoes like Russet/Idaho probably need to be quartered, but halving is fine for smaller potatoes like Yukon Gold)
• Water to cover
• 1 teaspoon salt for cooking, plus 1 teaspoon for mashing
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 3/4 to 1 1/2 cup milk, heated (less milk makes a denser mash; I like more milk for a lighter texture – also the mash will stiffen as it sits, so I advise adding a bit more milk than you think you need)
• Sour cream or greek yogurt, optional (adds a nice subtle tang)
• Garlic powder to taste, optional

Preparation

1. Add potatoes to Instant Pot and just enough water to cover. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water. If making ahead, you can just let the potatoes sit until you are ready to cook.
2. Cover the instant pot securely and make sure the pressure vent is closed. Cook the potatoes on high for 8-10 minutes (8 should be fine but 10 will give you extra cover if your potato chunks are large). When finished, manually release the pressure valve (you can put a kitchen towel over the vent to contain the steam) or let it release gradually if you aren’t in a hurry.
3. Drain the water from the potatoes and add the potatoes back to the pot.
4. Add butter, salt and pepper and mash the potatoes with a hand masher, potato ricer or fork until the butter is melted. Add warm milk in batches (you don’t want cold milk cooling your mashed potatoes), continuing to mash, until the potatoes are the consistency you like. Taste and add salt/pepper as needed.
5. Cover loosely with lid to keep warm until ready to serve. Garnish with a pat of butter and/or chopped chives/parsley if desired.

Notes

• Yukon Gold potatoes are thin-skinned enough that you can get away without peeling if you don’t mind a little more texture in your mash.
• If you don’t have milk, you can also save a cup of the cooking water (after the potatoes are cooked) to use instead.
• Plan on 1/3 to 1/2 pound of potatoes per person.
• For 6-8 people: 3 lbs potatoes, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk.
• For 10-15 people: 5 lbs of potatoes; 6 tablespoons butter, 1 1/2 to 2 cups milk.

Here’s the link back to the post and pictures.