Your mashed potato will be fluffier and richer if you follow Gordon Ramsay’s one key step
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MAKING mashed potatoes always sounds simple. Boil up some peeled potatoes, drain once cooked, chuck in some salt and butter and use a masher to get them soft and fluffy. But according to a leading TV chef there's an important step you have to take to make your mash as fluffy and rich as possible.
![[Gordon Ramsay holding two portions of mashed potatoes.]](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/bish-mash-bosh-mashed-potato-966048988.png?strip=all&w=426)
And, unsurprisingly, his ingredient list and recipe is slightly more complex. Gordon Ramsay is one of the most accomplished chefs in the world, with more than 20 cookbooks, 80 restaurants and 17 Michelin stars to his name. When it comes to mashed potatoes, the 58-year-old swears by Yukon Gold potatoes which he peels and dices into small cubes, but does not rinse under lots of water.
![[Bowl of mashed potatoes topped with chives.]](https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/01/bish-mash-bosh-mashed-potato-966048985.png?strip=all&w=423)
And the important reason?. "I want the starch. The starch gives me the depth and the richness of that mashed potato", he says. He adds: "And always start potatoes in cold water. If you start them in hot water, it creates this sort of unwanted furriness on the texture of the potato on the outside.".
While his potatoes are boiling, chef Ramsay adds a bay leaf, thyme, garlic and nutmeg to cream before reducing it down for three minutes to create the "essence" of his mashed potatoes. He strains the cream and "beautifully cooked" and "really fragrant" garlic through a sieve and sets aside for finishing off the mash.
Turning back to the potatoes themselves, the cooking pro drains them after around eight minutes before popping back in a covered pot to steam for a further two minutes. He says: "The more fluffier I get these potatoes now, the more lighter and creamier they're going to taste.".
