On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 11:39:24 -0500, "cybercat" >
wrote:

>I got roped into doing Thanksgiving dinner.
>
>I don't do mashed potatoes! I never have. I recall trying years ago, and
>they were lumpy.
>
>Got five pounds of big, fresh Idaho potatoes at Aldi, and a pound of butter.
>I guess I need milk, right?
>
>How do you make your best mashed potatoes?
>
Well, it's for a crowd so peel them *first*, then quarter. Put the
potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and boil gently until fork
tender.

I dump out the water (reserving a little for making gravy later), put
them back into the hot pot, back on the burner (which is now turned
off) and let them dry out a few minutes.

I use an old fashioned potato ricer to mash
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/image...6L._AA280_.jpg, but I
don't do 5 pounds at a time. A potato masher
http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes...potmash-02.jpg will
probably be a better tool for your amount. After that, throw in your
butter. You can use up to the entire pound (start with 1/2 a pound) -
heck, it's only one day. You can heat the milk or not too. I don't.
Use a very small amount and whip by stirring the potatoes vigorously
with the tool you used to mash them with. Dribble in a little more
liquid if you think they are too dry. Be careful not to add too much
liquid or you'll end up with wallpaper paste. Making fluffy mashed
potatoes is really a quick thing to do, so don't make it into a big
production. That's a surefire recipe for disaster.

After typing all that, I discovered eHow has the method with pictures.
LOL http://www.ehow.com/how_2645_mash-potatoes.html

Oh, since you've never done this before... I suggest that you practice
once or twice (on smaller amounts) before Thanksgiving.


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