Instant Pot Buttermilk & Leek Mashed Potatoes
Photo by Ty Mecham
- Serves
- 8
- Cook Time
- 20 Minutes
Nora Ephron wrote in Heartburn, "In the end, I always want potatoes. Mashed potatoes. Nothing like mashed potatoes when you’re feeling blue. Nothing like getting into bed with a bowl of hot mashed potatoes already loaded with butter, and methodically adding a thin cold slice of butter to every forkful. The problem with mashed potatoes, though, is that they require almost as much hard work as crisp potatoes, and when you’re feeling blue the last thing you feel like is hard work.” Well, here's my answer: the world's easiest mashed potatoes. Seriously—you don't even have to drain the pot after boiling.
All variations are fair game with these potatoes: If you don't feel like rinsing and chopping leeks, swap in shallots, more garlic, a yellow onion, or nothing at all. You can skip the wine and just deglaze with another splash of broth if it suits you better. Nora's extra butter-garnish is, however, strongly suggested for serving.
Ingredients
- 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, thoroughly rinsed and sliced into thin rings
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus 4 tablespoons, plus more for garnish (optional, but is it really?)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into six pieces each (I leave mine unpeeled, but you can peel depending on your personal preference)
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (you can substitute vegetable)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoon (heaping) kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 handful finely chopped chives or scallions for garnish (optional)
Featured Video
Instant Pot Buttermilk & Leek Mashed Potatoes
Featured in: "Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes Are a Bear Hug of a Dish."
Directions
- Step 1
Set your multi-cooker to the sauté setting. Once it’s hot, cook the garlic and leeks in 1 tablespoon of butter until they begin to get translucent, about 3 minutes. Deglaze with the wine, and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and broth and give everything a stir. Cover and set to pressure cook on high for 9 minutes.
- Step 2
Once the pressure cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally for a few minutes before utilizing the instant release function.
- Step 3
When the pressure is released, uncover and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Begin to mash the potatoes in the pot. As you do, drizzle in the buttermilk and cream, then mix in the salt and pepper. Mash to your desired smoothness. Adjust seasoning to taste. To serve, garnish with more butter and chopped herbs if using.