Herb Mashed Potatoes – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Rich with butter and cream, aromatic, and seasoned very simply with salt, pepper, and thyme, these herb mashed potatoes are simply delicious. Mashed potatoes are always a hit with my family, but these are a step above the average.

Homestyle Mashed Potatoes

As much as we love mashed potatoes, I do not enjoy peeling potatoes. To avoid peeling potatoes, I use Yukon or golden potatoes in most of our mashed potatoes. The skins are so thin you can leave them on.

Rich, fluffy mashed potatoes with soft potato pieces and skins that melt into the creaminess are what you will get with this recipe. Yes, skin-on mashed potatoes can still be fluffy.

I’m a great big fan of rustic mashed potatoes. Why do I call them rustic? Because they aren’t supposed to be perfectly smooth, there should be some texture and it shouldn’t be fussy at all.

Mashed potatoes used to intimidate me, but I’m happy to tell you that there is nothing to worry about when making mashed potatoes. Just drain the potatoes and place them back in the pot over very low heat to make sure that any liquid or steam is released while you’re mashing them.

Once everything is roughly mashed with a potato masher (this is my favorite one for potatoes), add the butter, smash it in, and add then add some milk, half and half, or cream.

Season however your heart desires, and you’re going to love them. This really is the BEST easy mashed potato recipe you can make.

Herb Mashed Potatoes

You’ll need the following ingredients for this recipe:

• Yukon Gold potatoes
• butter
• heavy cream
• fresh or dried thyme
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• fresh Italian parsley

You can use fresh or dried thyme in this recipe for thyme mashed potatoes. If you don’t happen to have either of those on hand, finely minced fresh rosemary is also great in this recipe. (However, I don’t recommend dried rosemary in these potatoes.)

The flavor of these creamy, buttery potatoes with the fresh herbs mixed into them is top-notch. Don’t skip the parsley and feel free to add some fresh chives too, if you have them on hand. The fresh, bright flavors the herbs add can’t be beaten.

Easy Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Start by placing the potatoes in a large saucepan and covering them with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat as needed to avoid overflowing the pan.

Simmer the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return the pot to the stove over the lowest possible heat.

Add butter and mash with a potato masher to break up the potatoes and combine the butter with them. Add ¼ cup cream, thyme, salt, and pepper to the potatoes.

Mash again until desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired. Stir in or sprinkle with parsley before serving. Top with additional pats of butter, if desired.

For a side dish like no other, serve these potatoes with a drizzle of balsamic butter sauce instead of gravy – it is so good! Not that the gravy is a bad idea at all. 

I love these potatoes plain and smothered in gravy too. However, sometimes you just want to take it to the next level. And balsamic butter sauce delivers every time.

originally published 9/23/11 – recipe notes and photos updated 11/13/23

recipe adapted from and with thanks to Bon Appetit via Epicurious