Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Everyone needs a droolworthy mashed potato recipe that comes together easily and are ultra creamy. These brown butter mashed potatoes are the perfect answer.

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine Side Dish

Keyword brown butter mashed potatoes, holiday vegetable side dish, potato side dish, thanksgiving vegetable side dish recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 466kcal

Ingredients

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
½ teaspoon dried thyme
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled if preferred
1 cup buttermilk
8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Brown Butter & Thyme

Cut butter into ½” slices and add to a small pot or saucepan Melt butter over medium heat, stirring as it melts.
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
The butter will begin to foam after melting, continue stirring. Once the butter turns a golden amber, and milk solids at the bottom are a toasty brown, it’s finished. Immediately remove from heat, and set aside in a heat-proof bowl.
Cool your browned butter for 5 minutes, and add the dried thyme, allowing it to “bloom” for 1 minute before adding to the potatoes.
½ teaspoon dried thyme

Mashed Potatoes

(Optional: Peel the potatoes.) Cut potatoes into quarters, and place into 4-5 quart pot (minimum).
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
Fill the pot with water, covering all potatoes, and bring to a roaring boil. Reduce to medium heat and boil for 10-15 additional minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.
Drain water, and lightly mash potatoes with a hand masher. Add the brown butter/thyme, buttermilk, cream cheese, salt, and black pepper. Mash/stir to combine being careful not to overmix.
1 cup buttermilk, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Notes

Once your butter browns, remove it from the heat and immediately transfer to a heat-proof bowl. This will stop the cooking process and prevent it from burning.
Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature for 30 minutes before use. This will make it easier to combine into your potatoes.
While not required, allowing your thyme to “bloom” in the brown butter will release oils, intensifying the flavor.
If the potatoes are too thick, stir in warm milk or buttermilk 1 TBSP at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
Store mashed potatoes in the refrigerator, and reheat on the stove on low heat. You may need to add a splash of milk or a TBSP of butter while heating to loosen the texture back up.

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