The Case for the Peel The skin of a potato contains many vitamins and minerals, plus fiber and iron. High in vitamins C and B6, which help aid the immune system, skin-on mashed potatoes over Thanksgiving could help fight off the holiday sniffles. The peels also add a toothsome texture and an earthy flavor to the dish.
There's no longer any need to peel those potatoes. In fact, it's actually better for you not to. Mashed Potatoes with Skin are smooth, creamy, and buttery, with speckled bites of texture thanks to the peel.
Yes. Eat the skin to capture all the russet potatoes nutrition. The potato skin has more nutrients than the interior of the potato. It has lots of fiber, about half of a medium potato's fiber is from the skin.
Some people prefer it that way because the skin is the most nutritious part of a potato. The ratio of skin to flesh is low, so the amount of skin isn't objectionable.
The more color in the potato, the more antioxidants it contains. On top of that, the skin of the potato can have up to 12 times more antioxidants than the flesh. So don't be afraid to eat your potato skins.
Fat content: Potato skins are often fried or baked with added fats, such as butter or oil, which can add calories and saturated fat to the dish. While some fats are essential for health, it's important to choose healthy fats in moderation and to pay attention to portion sizes.
As potato peels are loaded with potassium, an important and essential mineral, consuming them lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke. It is because, potassium plays a key role in lowering blood pressure and maintaining a healthy heart. Another heart-healthy nutrient present in potato skin are omega-3 fatty acids.
Restaurants prepare the potatoes ahead by boiling and mashing just the potato, then just before serving, it is mixed into boiling cream (or milk or even broth or a combination thereof) to reheat it and make it nice and creamy.
Just give them a good rinse to remove any dirt and cut out any blemishes you see. Some people may prefer to peel the potatoes before boiling, but we would recommend you leave the skins on. This ensures that the nutrients and flavours are not lost during cooking and you get all those lovely vitamins too.
You Don't Season the Water
As with pasta water, there's a reason to liberally salt the water in which the potatoes will cook: As the starches in potatoes warm up, they open up and absorb water (and salt if you season the water). When they're finished cooking, the cells close off.
Are Potatoes more nutritious with the skin on? Making mashed potatoes is a good idea no matter what, but cooking up mashed potatoes with skin still on is, in fact, even better! A LOT of the vitamins and minerals found in red potatoes are actually in the skin! It contains tons of fiber, B vitamins, iron and potassium.
Removing the potato starch both before and after cooking ensures fluffy, not gluey, mashed potatoes. Milk and butter give the potatoes richness.
Doing so is a science thing – soaking cut potatoes removes excess potato starch. This means fluffy mashed potatoes (and not gluey!)
Transfer the potatoes to a giant pot of water (cover the potatoes by at least an inch of water). Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender, then drain them. Once they're cool enough to touch, peel the potato skin from each side of the punctured line you created. And voilà — the skin will slide off effortlessly!
Cover the potatoes with water and season with 1 teaspoon of the salt. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of the butter, hot milk, sour cream, and salt to taste; mash thoroughly with a potato masher until very creamy.
Potatoes can be peeled prepped and cut into water up to 2 days before boiling for mash.
Smaller potatoes (like red gold) will cook faster whole — about 15-20 minutes in boiling water. Larger potatoes (like russet) take a little more time — about 20-30 minutes.
They absorb liquids brilliantly, which is why they mash so well. But when you boil them in water, the liquid they are absorbing is just that, water, which can make for a less flavorful mash. By boiling the potatoes in salted milk, they are absorbing creaminess and seasoning, which makes them inherently more flavorful.
The results: “consumption of potato skins containing glycoalkaloids can significantly aggravate intestinal inflammation in predisposed individuals.”
White potatoes belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which includes tomatoes; like tomatoes, raw potatoes contain solanine, a compound that is toxic to some dogs. However, cooking a potato reduces the levels of solanine. If you do feed your dog a potato, it should be baked or boiled, with nothing added to it.
A word about butter: Don't melt butter before stirring it into the potatoes because the milk solids and fat will separate. You can add cold butter to your hot potatoes since the butter will melt as a whole and distribute the fat and milk solids evenly.
Too much whipping (or mashing) will give you sticky — not fluffy — mashed potatoes. Make the best of it and turn them into cheesy mashed potato cups: Mix the potatoes with grated cheddar and an egg, then scoop the mixture into lightly greased muffin cups.