Buttery Mashed Potato

Good mash is technique disguised as simplicity. Start with a floury potato - Maris Piper, King Edward, Russet - peeled and cut into even chunks so they cook through at the same rate. Boil from cold salted water; starting from boiling cooks the outsides before the centres soften. Drain and steam-dry in the empty pan over low heat for a minute to drive off water. Then push them through a ricer or sieve, never a food processor, which over-works the starch into wallpaper paste. Beat in butter first, then warm milk or cream — the order matters, fat coats the starch granules and keeps the texture silky.