Steam Oven Mashed Potatoes

4.17 from 6 votes

Steam Oven Mashed Potatoes

Steamed potatoes make the best mash, and this is my go-to recipe. It's simple, no fuss and works every single time, without the mess of boiling starchy potato water!

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: steam oven mash, steam oven mashed potatoes, steamed mash, steamed mashed potatoes

Servings:

Calories: 300kcal

Ingredients

3 lb potatoes peeled, halved and cut into 1” thick slices (Preferably Sebago, Russet or Maris Piper, Note 1)
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter room temperature, diced
1/3 cup milk or cream, warmed
1/2 tsp salt optional, to taste

Garnishes

3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted, optional
1/2 bunch chives chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Put potatoes into a lightweight stainless steel pan and season with salt. Put into your cold oven and set to 212°F/100°C, steam setting (100% humidity). Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are very soft. You should be able to easily break them with the back of a spoon.
3 lb potatoes, 1 tsp salt
When the potatoes are cooked, drain off any excess water and tip them into a deep bowl or pan.
Add the diced butter and milk or cream, then mash well. If your mash is too stiff, add a couple of extra tablespoons of warmed milk to loosen it. Season with extra salt if necessary.
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, 1/3 cup milk, 1/2 tsp salt
Transfer to serving bowl and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with chives and serve hot.
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, 1/2 bunch chives

Notes

Let's talk about potato varieties for a moment. Floury and all rounder potatoes work best, so:
- in Australia, those cheap dirt-brushed potatoes (Sebago) are perfect all rounders. Yes, you'll have to wash them but it's worth the quick extra step for great mash.
- in the USA, Russets are a great choice
- in the UK I'd use Maris Pipers.
Please, please, for the love of all that is good and potato-y, DO NOT use a whisk, stick blender, food processor or blender for this recipe. A low-tech hand held potato masher is all you need. Mashed potatoes will quickly go from perfect and creamy to gluey and tough using appliances.
Want that incredibly silky smooth mash you get in restaurants? It can be done if you care enough to make extra effort! To make silky restaurant potatoes, push your finished mash through a sieve to get out any chunks. I can never be bothered but if it's a special occasion and you want to, go for it. The other key to restaurant potatoes is a ratio of about 1:1 potatoes to butter. There's a reason that mash tastes like heaven, and a reason I tend to save it for dining out! ;)
For a middle ground mash that's still very very smooth, buy a potato ricer. You put the cooked potatoes into the ricer a few bits at a time and push them through, kind of like a giant garlic press. Then mix in the butter and milk. I have a ricer and like it, but if I'm honest it only comes out once or twice a year. If you LOVE mash (or homemade gnocchi) it might be worth the investment, but do think about where you'll store it before buying one.
How to keep your mash warm: this is easy when you have a steam oven. Before you garnish, pop the entire serving bowl into your steam oven on a keep warm setting (a maximum of 175°F/80°C, 80-100% humidity). It'll keep like that for a good couple of hours, just take out and garnish to serve.
How to reheat your mash: as per the keeping warm directions above, although you may wish to raise the temp to 195°F/90°C so they don't take so long to heat through. I like to give the potatoes a good stir after reheating to make sure the consistency hasn't become too thick.

Nutrition