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The most perfect buttery herbed mashed potatoes. Made simply with cream, fresh herbs, a little garlic, and a good amount of butter. Each bite is perfect and so delicious. The secret? Crème fraîche for creaminess, and herbed brown butter for incredible flavor. The best part is that you can make these mashed potatoes ahead of time for easy entertaining!
It would not be Thanksgiving, or November for that matter, without a good amount of creamy, buttery mashed potatoes. Without a doubt, mashed potatoes are the crowd favorite at our Thanksgiving table. My brothers take double helpings, always going back for more. The potatoes are the first dish to disappear. No matter how many mashed potatoes I make, I always wish I would have made more.
Anyone else the same? I feel like everyone loves potatoes, so my guess is that I’m not alone.
The mashers are simply the best. So today I’m sharing my go-to, no fail, recipe, along with all my secrets, and make ahead tips.
I actually have a few mashed potato recipes that I adore, but these buttery herbed mashed potatoes are my favorite for Thanksgiving. My crockpot three cheese mashed potatoes are another go-to for weeknights. But for Thanksgiving I love mashers that are less cheesy and more herby. I find that these just pair better with all the dishes on my Thanksgiving menu.
They’re simple, but delicious, and I have yet to meet anyone who does not love them.
And yes, they’re extra buttery, which I do think all mashed potatoes need to be.
Here are the details.
Start with Yukon gold potatoes, which are going to give you extra creamy mashed potatoes. Boil the potatoes with a few cloves of garlic and a good amount of salt. Then drain and give them a good mashing. I like to use my stand mixer to quickly mash the potatoes. That said, if you want a good arm workout, mashing by hand is the way to go.
While the potatoes are boiling, warm the cream with the herbs to infuse with a delicious herby flavor. Then slowly add the cream to the mashed potatoes, along withe the crème fraîche. I LOVE using crème fraîche as a secret ingredient. It makes for the creamiest mashed potatoes. Trust me, you have to try it. If you don’t have crème fraîche, I’d recommend using an equal amount of cream cheese, but crème fraîche is best.
OK. Now the real important step.
Brown some butter with fresh sage. Yes, yes, YES, you must add a little browned butter. It’s the key to mashed potatoes that are just a little bit better than anyone else’s.
I use about half regular butter and half browned, so it’s a very subtle but delicious flavor. Again, trust me here, I’m not going to steer you wrong.
Finish with a sprinkle of fresh chives and you’ll have the most perfect, buttery mashed potatoes. No one can turn these down.
If you’d like to make them in advance, this recipe works great. I usually keep mine warm in the slow cooker, but I’ve also included directions on how-to reheat in the oven, and on the stove-top, so do what works best for you!
My best piece of advice?
Test this recipe out before Thanksgiving. Like today or sometime this week. Testing your recipes before Thanksgiving Day is the best thing you can do. Everyone has different tastes, so it’s good to check and adjust as needed before the big day. Plus, you get a huge bowl of yummy mashed potatoes all to your yourself. No sharing required. Cool. Cool.
If you make these buttery mashed potatoes please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I couldn’t easily find crème fraîche so I subbed sour cream before I saw the cream cheese suggestion. Still amazing. Taste testing through the whole process, it really is that brown butter that levels it up. Delicious!
Hey Miranda! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! 🙂 xxTieghan
These were a big hit last Thanksgiving. Will russets work?
Hi there! So happy to hear that. Russets should work just fine! Enjoy. xTieghan
I made these for the first time tonight to go with your slow cooker French mustard chicken and I will never make mashed potatoes another way again.
Hey Jenn,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
These were the best potatoes I’ve ever had. I used the ritz cracker topping from another one of your recipes to prepare the leftovers and it was so good. This was the first recipe from Half Baked Harvest that I have made and it exceeded all expectations. Thank you! I look forward to more of your recipes ??
Hey Kim,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. That is so great the recipe was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
These were delicious! I made them for our Christmas dinner to serve along with beef tenderloin and HBH Salted Honey Brussels Sprouts. Both were a huge hit with our family! (Wish I had taken pictures)
Hey Jen,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
OMG I chose this recipe for the addition of mashed potatoes to my Thanksgiving menu and one word, DELICIOUS! So easy yet so flavorful. I followed the recipe to a tee however I did sub cream cheese for creme fraiche cause all I had on hand and the creaminess was not compromised in the least. The browned sage butter is key to this dish. My best advice, don’t scrimp on the herbs. This is my fifth or sixth recipe I’ve made of yours and each one has exceeded expectations, thank you!
I am so happy this recipe turned out so well for you, Erin! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Totally insane mashers!!! The best we’ve ever made or consumed by far, possibly light years…Totally worth every aspect of the recipe and the “coup de grace” was the Creme Fraiche!!! Thank you for bringing this recipe to us, among so many others….! HBH recipes dominated our Turkey Day this year – thankfully!!! We just discovered you 2 weeks ago!
Michael
I am so happy you have been enjoying my recipes, Michael! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I made this for thanksgiving and it turned out amazing! Everyone LOVED these potatoes! Thick, buttery, delicious goodness!
Thank you so much Lauren! xTieghan
Well, I would love to make this but this website is so bogged down with adds that I cant access the recipe long enough to follow it! The print button doesn’t work and copy and pasting is a no-go too. Even trying to write this comment is a pain because adds keep popping gup and interrupting me. super frustrating. The recipe looks great – too bad you let the adds rule your content..
Hi! I am really sorry about the ads that keep popping up. The print button is not working for you? I would love to help! xTieghan
What is the best substitute for the potatoes? Butter, or russet?
Hey Heather,
Either one is fine to use. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Would it be bad to use Russet potatoes instead of Yukon gold? My bf’s parents already went shopping and got russet 🙂
Hello! Do you need to peel the potatoes or do you just boil them and mash? Excited to make these!
Looks amazing! I want to make for Thanksgiving, but I have picky nieces that love their mashed potatoes, but wouldn’t go for the herb flavor in them. Would it be Ok to omit the thyme and sage?
Hey Kim,
Yes, that would be fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’ve recently had to give up dairy (butter is fine) but I’m DYING for a great no-cream/milk mashed potato recipe… any optional alternatives to the heavy cream here? Does this magical unicorn of a recipe even exist??? *Le sigh…
You can purchase dairy-free butter, milk and cream at most grocery stores- Earth balance, Silk and Planet Oat are some of my favorite brands 🙂
Hi! How would you do these in a crockpot? I love the ingredients of this a bit more than your slow cooker cheesy herb potatoes, but would love to use the crockpot rather than the stove. Thanks!
Hey Sarah,
You can follow the crockpot instructions for the cheesy potatoes:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan