Ultimate Mashed Potatoes - Not Your Every Day Recipe

Every year around holiday time, I see people posting recipes for low-fat and no-fat mashed potatoes, which I find as sad, as I do perplexing. There's no sane doctor alive, or bartender for that matter, who will tell you eating a scoop of these mashed potatoes a few times a year will, in any way, negatively effect your health.

So what's up with the reduced-fat holiday potatoes? Isn't that the reason we try to eat well all year, so on Thanksgiving we can bathe guilt-free in gravy? Sure, serving your loved ones potatoes with a pound of butter in them on a regular basis would be cause for alarm…or at least a glance at any recently purchased life insurance policies…but for truly special occasions, it's crazy not to enjoy such a pleasure.

By the way, this is no viral-video gimmick. Those star chefs you see Anthony Bourdain dry-humping every week (sorry, I was channeling my inner Anthony Bourdain) all use at least this much butter, and as legend has it, some even flirt with equal parts. Of course, they call it pomme purée, and say it with a French accent, but it's the same stuff.

Nobody says you have to go full Joël Robuchon and actually use this recipe, but please try to force yourself to add more than the few meager tablespoons that get us through the rest of the year. Anyway, if you're never experienced this ethereal pleasure, I hope you make them a part of your next special occasion menu. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 portions:

• 3 1/4 pounds russet potatoes (3 or 4)
• Note: this will not work with red potatoes, as they are too waxy
• 1 pound unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup hot milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• Note: Thanksgiving gravy warning! For obvious reasons, these aren't very sturdy mashed potatoes, so be careful with the gravy. If you totally drench them they'll basically melt.