I never cut them up unless I’m in a mad rush and sticking a potato in the microwave in an “emergency” (you know those potato emergencies right?)
I saw a technique a while back the suggested making a shallow cut around the equator of a whole potato, then steaming or boiling (or my personal favorite, pressure cooking) – once done, twist gently in opposite directions and the skin pops right off. Tried it, it works perfectly.
I’ve done that dozens of time and at least for me as never failed to work as advertised!
Doesn’t everyone?
My preferred mashed potatoes are russets, peeled, quartered, and cooked in water about as salty as for boiling pasta, about two or three tbsp. to five quarts. Press through a fine tamis and add creme fraiche or crema agria, salted butter, and any other desired enhancements like horse radish or garlic. Although she is only a spectator, my PIC thought the tamis route was too much work, hard to clean, and most of all too hard to find the optimal bowl size. So I got a Sopito ricer. Does it produce as fine a puree? No. However, it is mighty good, goes quickly and easily, and, unlike the tamis, can go in the dishwasher. I think it was a good addition to my embarrassingly well stocked kitchen.
Not a good recipe as it is missing the salty component of the dish with pieces of thick cut bacon (in some parts of Germany it can also be served with different kinds of sausages, e.g. blood sausage but it needs something salty otherwise it would be to one-dimensional and sweet from the apples and caramelized onions
Blood sausage is essential with this.
Some time ago I bought a vintage metal potato ricer, and promptly forgot about it.
I just used it to make mashed potatoes for the first time. I was only cooking for two people so it was quick enough to pass all the taters through the ricer, but I burned myself multiple times with hot little potato squiggles.
That said, the results were FANTASTIC. I warmed some butter and milk separately and just stirred that into the riced potatoes. 10/10, will make again.
pretty sure that particular site, Norberts Kitchen, is vegetarian.
realize traditionally it’s served with sausage or other meat.
I think I’ve posted other links previously elsewhere.
I have made this recipe that calls for bacon
You know how people say their secret ingredient is “love” when they can’t quite pinpoint why a dish is so good? I believe the secret ingredient to the best mashed potatoes is unadulterated anger. The best mashed potatoes are made with immediate and acute violence. One should add the salt, butter, and cream when the potatoes are still screaming hot. Then one should quickly mount the pot and mash the potatoes like they’re in an 18th century bare-knuckle prize fight until every lump is gone. That’s how I do it anyway because I prefer a smooth mash that knows I’m in charge. When I use garlic, I roast cloves on a low temperature in olive oil for about an hour until they are soft enough to dematerialize into the potatoes when I’m mashing the hell out of them.
Oh, so that’s why all my food tastes so good! 
My PIC refers to me as The Angry Chef, which would also be the title of my cooking show if anyone cared to watch me swear at food.
I used to really enjoy potatoes mashed via a food mill; super-smooth texture. Then the mill broke and I reverted to just a hand masher. Finally bought an expensive German food mill, but now cleaning it seems like too much trouble, so it’s gathering dust.
You could add that to the new and shiny cookware regrets thread!
I am picky about my mashers.
Russets, peeled and boiled in water with a few smashed cloves of garlic until fork tender. Drain, but save the water for sourdough another time, smashed in the pot with a potato smasher, melted salted butter and a bit of cream or half and half. Plopped into a warmed serving dish or plate. Solo, no gravy. Maybe a sorinkle of chives, maybe not. Sometimes the clove carcasses get picked out before serving.
No new potato types apply here. Too ‘gluey’ for my taste.
Always add your potatoes back to the pot after draining to cook off extra moisture. Then add butter, mash, then add creamy element. Can be milk, buttermilk, sour cream. Whip them up by hand with that masher. You can do it with a hand mixer
