Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes ~ rustic, creamy, cheesy ramped up with the flavor of fresh sage and brown butter. Seriously delicious. The best mashed potatoes you’ll ever eat. 

There’s no denying fall is here and it’s not just because of All Things Pumpkin (you know what I mean). It’s in the cool crisp air too which means sleeping with the windows wide open (at least for now), swapping out summer clothes for the heavy winter stuff and packing away summer recipes for some good, fall comfort food.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes are at the top of my list ~ creamy, goat-cheesy plus that delicious nutty brown-butter flavor. They’re (sigh) epic (some may say lick your plate) good. . . and just in the nick of time for not just fall, but major holiday entertaining. Oh yeah – and you can make them a day ahead which means entertaining just got easier.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes, rustic, creamy, cheesy enhanced with fresh sage. The perfect side dish. Make up to a day ahead for easier entertaining.

Every year we plant a garden (stay with me, I’ll get there) that yields more tomatoes than two people can eat, freeze or appropriately share. We also grow a variety of peppers and herbs, including for some reason a couple of sage plants even though I only use sage for fall and winter recipes.

This year I froze a lot of my herbs, but still had a lot of sage leftover so I decided to add some to these Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes and a good recipe got that much better.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes Ingredients:

  • About 1 pound of red skin potatoes (Yukon are also delicious in this recipe)
  • 3 ounces of goat cheese
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, whole
  • ¼ cup of milk
  • 4 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh sage, finely chopped + additional leaves for garnish
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Cooking spray

whole red skin potatoes for the Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Wash and cut the potatoes leaving the skins on and put them in a pot with just enough water to cover them.

Bring the water to a boil then add about ½ tablespoon of salt (potatoes have no real flavor of their own and this is the ideal time to season them) and 2-3 cloves of whole garlic depending on size and how much you love garlic.

Cook the potatoes until they’re fork-tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the brown butter. Brown butter is really easy to make, can be used in lots of other recipes and adds such a deep rich, nutty flavor.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes, rustic, creamy, cheesy enhanced with fresh sage. The perfect side dish. Make up to a day ahead for easier entertaining.

Just a couple of simple steps:

  • Cut the butter into pieces then add to a skillet over medium heat. 
  • Stir the butter allowing it to melt evenly. You’ll see it start to foam ~ keep stirring constantly.
  • Add the chopped sage (for this recipe).
  • The foam will subside and the butter becomes a light golden color with a delicious nutty aroma.

When the brown butter is finished set it aside for now.

When the potatoes are fork-tender, drain them and discard the garlic cloves. 

Tip: For fluffier potatoes, make sure all the water is gone before you begin mashing. After draining return the potatoes to the pot and cook over low heat 1-2 minutes to let the rest of the water evaporate then add the other ingredients and mash.

Reserve 2 tablespoons of brown butter and add the rest to the potatoes along with the milk and goat cheese then mash everything together. I like using a potato masher for a rustic mash still leaving bites of the peel.

Transfer the potatoes to a serving dish then drizzle the last tablespoon of brown butter over the potatoes and serve right away.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes, rustic, creamy, cheesy enhanced with fresh sage. The perfect side dish. Make up to a day ahead for easier entertaining.

Tip #1 substitutions:

  • Rosemary or thyme can be substituted for sage.
  • Blue/gorgonzola cheese would be a great substitute for goat cheese if you like a stronger cheese taste.

Making Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes ahead of time:

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes, rustic, creamy, cheesy enhanced with fresh sage. The perfect side dish. Make up to a day ahead for easier entertaining.

If you’re like me, when you’re entertaining a crowd, there never seems to be enough time. My best tip is to do as much as possible ahead of time (even a day or two before). 

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes are a great make-ahead recipe ~ just one more reason to love them. 

Prepare the potatoes per the instructions above (reserving the remaining brown butter) then transfer them to a lightly greased ovenproof dish. Cover and chill up to 2 days.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes, rustic, creamy, cheesy enhanced with fresh sage. The perfect side dish. Make up to a day ahead for easier entertaining.

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes

Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes ~ rustic smashed redskin potatoes blended with nutty brown butter and goat cheese. 
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound approximately red skin potatoes (Yukon are also delicious in this recipe)
  • 3 ounces goat cheese
  • 2-3 cloves garlic whole
  • ¼ cup whole milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped + additional whole leaves for garnish
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Wash and cut the potatoes leaving the skins on and put them in a pot with just enough water to cover them.
  • Bring the water to a boil, add about ½ tablespoon of salt and the whole garlic cloves then cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, make the brown butter. 
  • Cut the butter into pieces then add to a skillet over medium heat. Stir the butter allowing it to melt evenly. You’ll see it start to foam ~ keep stirring constantly.
  • Add the chopped sage.
  • The foam will subside and the butter is finished when it becomes a light golden color with a nutty aroma. When it's finished, set it aside.
  • Drain the potatoes and discard the garlic cloves.
  • Reserve 2 tablespoons of brown butter and add the rest to the potatoes along with the milk and goat cheese. Mash using a potato masher. 
  • Transfer the potatoes to a serving dish, drizzle the last tablespoon of brown butter over the top and serve right away.
  • NOTE: see the body of this post for instructions on how to make Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes ahead of time.
Keyword mashed potatoes
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15 Comments

  1. Mashed potatoes are my favorite food! The brown butter in this recipe sounds fantastic! The chopped fresh sage is a yummy addition….need to buy some soon. Great Gertie’s Garter this is a winner! Pinned. Thanks for sharing. Take care, my friend.

    1. Hi June – yes you can make these potatoes a day ahead. Cover and chill in the fridge (up to 2 days). Remove from the fridge and let it come to room temp (about 30 minutes)l. Bake uncovered 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until they’re heated through. I like to microwave a little of the brown butter to drizzle over the top just before serving. Thanks for reaching out. — Bernie