This is Why You Should Stop Boiling Mashed Potatoes in Water
Mashed potatoes are my kids’ absolute favorite meal. They ask for it almost every day. Well, I’d rather give them vegetables and greens, but what can I say, they are very stubborn with their food choices. So, if I want them to eat well, I have to make mashed potatoes a few times a week. It’s not just my kids who are crazy about it; me and my husband love mashed potatoes too! We often brainstorm how we can make it more delicious. Scrolling through Instagram and TikTok—embarrassingly often—I stumbled across a tip from a TikToker named Jourdyn, who goes by the handle jeauxp. I thought, “What more can you do to mashed potatoes?” But apparently, there’s a lot more.
According to Jourdyn, the secret ingredient is… chicken stock! (or broth, doesn’t really matter). I could never have thought of that on my own. Usually, my recipe was pretty standard: boil the potatoes in water and salt, mash them up with butter and milk, and that’s it. But Jourdyn introduced me to a whole new world of flavors.
She starts by not peeling the potatoes. Yes, you read that right—she keeps the skins on! She believes that the skins not only add texture but also nutrients. After thoroughly washing them, she rubs avocado oil on the outside of her potato skins, cuts them in halves, and places them in a pot. Then comes her twist: instead of just water, she uses a mix of chicken stock and water, adds a pinch of salt, and lets them boil.
Why does it taste so good? I was skeptical, but the curiosity got the better of me. So, one evening, I decided to give Jourdyn’s method a try. I followed her steps: rubbed avocado oil on the skins, used chicken broth (I didn’t have stock), and waited anxiously for the results.
After boiling, I drained the potatoes while reserving some of the cooking liquid for mashing. If you’re boiling potatoes anyway, don’t toss the water — here’s how to make the most of boiled potato water and put every drop to good use! Then, I mashed the potatoes, skins and all, with a bit of butter, a splash of the reserved broth, and a generous helping of black pepper. The result? The flavors were incredible! The broth added a subtle umami that water simply couldn’t match, and the skins provided a delightful, rustic texture.
