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    Home » Recipe Index » Easy Side Dish Recipes

    Red Skin Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

    Published: Mar 4, 2021 · Modified: Aug 28, 2024 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a comment.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 1 review

    Creamy and comforting Red Skin Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and every other day in between!  This rustic-style redskin mashed potato recipe is made entirely in one pot and only requires 5 main ingredients!

    Redskin mashed potatoes with cream cheese in a beige bowl, on a pink napkin, with a spoon.

    Red Skin Mashed Potatoes are thick, creamy, and smooth.  They’re a favorite among mashed potato lovers.  And if you aren’t a mashed potato lover, you will be after trying this recipe!

    Two of the top reasons to make mashed potatoes with baby red skins are that no peeling and no chopping is required!  Simply rinse the potatoes and transfer them to your pot of boiling water.  

    I’m definitely a potato lover!  When I’m not making my Redskin Mashed Potatoes, I’m making my Perfect Baked Potatoes (without foil), Mashed Potatoes with Cottage Cheese, Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes, and Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts. 

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Recipe substitutes and variations
    • How to make Red Skin Mashed Potatoes
    • Expert tips
    • What to serve with red skin mashed potatoes
    • Storage and reheating
    • Frequently asked questions
    • More potato recipes you'll love
    • Red Skin Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese
    • Hungry for more?
    • 💬 Comments

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • Easy - This simple and easy recipe doesn’t require any peeling or chopping, and it’s ready in under 30 minutes. 
    • Classic - Red Skin Mashed Potatoes are a classic holiday side dish, pairing perfectly with mains like Greek roast chicken or Dutch oven spiral ham.    
    • Texture - Thanks to the naturally low starch content in redskin potatoes, they become seriously creamy and rich when mashed. 

    Ingredients

    Ingredients needed to make red skin mashed potatoes.
    • Redskin baby potatoes - Red skin potatoes have thin, red skin and white flesh. Look for redskin potatoes that don't have soft spots, green spots, sprouting eyes, or shriveled skin.
    • Milk - I prefer to use whole milk when making mashed potatoes. Reduced fat or 2% milk will work as well. I would avoid skim/fat-free milk.
    • Butter - I always use salted butter because that's what I have in my fridge. If you use unsalted, you may want to increase the salt added to your taste.
    • Cream Cheese - Use a good, full-fat block of cream cheese.
    • Seasonings - You'll also need kosher salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and fresh chives.

    *See the recipe card below for a detailed list of ingredients and quantities.

    Recipe substitutes and variations

    • Red potatoes - I prefer to use baby redskin potatoes. You can substitute large red-skin potatoes if you chop them into small, equally sized chunks before adding them to the boiling water.
    • Milk - You can substitute whole milk for half and half, heavy cream, or 2% milk.
    • Cream cheese - Besides cream cheese, you could add grated parmesan cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded gruyere cheese, or sour cream.
    • Fresh chives - If you cannot find fresh chives, you can substitute dried chives. Dried herbs are always more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs. The general rule of thumb is one tablespoon of fresh herbs can be swapped out for one teaspoon of dried herbs. Green onions are also a good substitute for fresh chives.

    How to make Red Skin Mashed Potatoes

    Recipe rundown

    1. Boil the potatoes until fork tender.
    2. Mash until crumbly.
    3. Add all of the remaining ingredients.
    4. Mix until smooth.

    Step-by-step instructions

    Step 1: Fill a saucepan or large pot with cold water and bring it to a low, rolling boil. Add the baby red potatoes to the boiling water. Cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.

    Baby redskin potatoes in a pot of boiling water.

    Step 2: Drain the boiling water. Place the potatoes back into the saucepan. Use a potato masher and mash the potatoes until the potatoes resemble a crumbly texture.

    If you want mashed potatoes that have a mostly smooth texture, then continue mashing the potatoes until they are ground up into small, crumbly pieces. If you prefer a lumpy texture, leave some larger potato pieces unmashed.

    Cooked redskin potatoes, mashed.

    Step 3: Add ½ cup of whole milk, melted butter, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the potatoes.

    Cooked potatoes, mashed, mixed with cream cheese and other ingredients.

    Step 4: Use a large mixing spoon to mix all of the redskin mashed potato ingredients together, until your potatoes have a smooth and creamy texture.

    Redskin mashed potatoes mixed together.

    Mix the fresh chives into the potatoes, top with a pat of butter, serve, and enjoy!

    Up close image of mashed redskin potatoes in a bowl with melted butter and fresh chives.

    Expert tips

    • Red skin potatoes are waxy potatoes with low starch content. The low starch content gives them a smooth and creamy texture when mashed and mixed together. If you're looking for light and fluffy mashed potatoes, then you need to use Russet potatoes, which have a much higher starch content.
    • Since redskin potatoes have a low starch content, they tend to get gummy or gluey if they're overmixed. This is why mixing them with an immersion blender or food processor is not recommended.
    • I like to bring my milk up to room temperature before adding it to my mashed redskins so that the milk doesn't cool the potatoes down.
    • Even though you don't have to peel your baby potatoes, I still recommend looking them over before adding them to the boiling water. Cut out any bruised spots, eyes, or soft spots.

    What to serve with red skin mashed potatoes

    Creamy redskin mashed potatoes are a classic side dish that can be served with almost any main protein. Here are a few of my favorites:

    • Balsamic Chicken Thighs
    • Blackened Pork Chops
    • Easy Blackened Cod Recipe
    • Sundried Tomato Pesto Chicken Breast

    Storage and reheating

    • How to store - Store leftover redskin mashed potatoes in an airtight, sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
    • How to reheat - Reheat leftover Red Skin Mashed Potatoes in the microwave for 1 minute at a time, stirring in between each minute. Continue heating until your desired warmth is reached.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why are red potatoes better for mashed potatoes?

    Red potatoes are better for mashed potatoes if you want very creamy, smooth, and rich mashed potatoes. If you want light and fluffy mashed potatoes, then you should choose russet potatoes.

    Do you have to peel red skin potatoes?

    No, you do not have to peel red skin potatoes. You should rinse them first and look them over for any bad spots.

    Are red skin mashed potatoes healthy?

    In general, potatoes are a healthy, whole food. Mashed potato recipes often call for butter, milk, sour cream, and various kinds of cheese. This may make certain mashed potato recipes unhealthy for certain individuals.

    More potato recipes you'll love

    • Mashed potatoes with cottage cheese in a brown dish, with a wooden serving spoon and a yellow napkin and dish of butter in the background.
      Creamy Mashed Potatoes with Cottage Cheese
    • Two baked potatoes, cut open with butter and chives, on parchment paper with a fork and knife.
      Perfect Baked Potato (without foil)
    • Mashed potato squash mashed into a creamy side dish, in a unique hand-made serving bowl, with an earth-toned dish towel in the background.
      Creamy Mashed Potato Squash Recipe
    • Wooden spoon scooping up sweet potato casserole.
      Sweet Potato Casserole with Walnuts

    If you tried this Red Skin Mashed Potatoes Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and tell me how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

    Print

    Red Skin Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

    Redskin mashed potatoes with cream cheese in a beige bowl, on a pink napkin, with a spoon.
    Print Recipe
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    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    Creamy and comforting Red Skin Mashed Potatoes are the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and every other day in between!  This rustic-style redskin mashed potato recipe is made entirely in one pot and only requires 5 main ingredients!

    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    • Category: side dish
    • Method: stove top cooking
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Gluten Free

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1.5 pounds baby red skin potatoes 
    • ½ cup whole milk
    • 4 tablespoons salted butter - melted
    • 4 ounces cream cheese
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 tablespoons fresh chives - chopped

    Instructions

    1. Fill a medium-sized saucepan (within 1 inch from the top) with water and bring to a boil.  Add the redskin potatoes and cook until they can be easily pierced with a fork.  About 15-18 minutes. 
    2. Drain the boiling water and return the potatoes to the pan.  Gently mash the potatoes using a potato masher.  Mash the potatoes until they are dry and crumbly.  
    3. Add the milk, melted butter, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the mashed potatoes.  Mix with a large mixing spoon until the cream cheese has fully incorporated with all the other ingredients and the potatoes are smooth and creamy. 
    4. Mix in the fresh chives, serve, and enjoy! 

    Notes

    • Mashing potatoes releases the starch in the potato.  The more you mash, the more starch is released.  Over-mashing can release too much starch which results in a gummy, gluey texture.  Be careful not to over-mash or over-mix.   
    • The nutrition information shown below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.  It should not be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.  

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size:
    • Calories: 228
    • Sugar: 3.2 g
    • Sodium: 356.4 mg
    • Fat: 15 g
    • Carbohydrates: 20.5 g
    • Fiber: 2 g
    • Protein: 4.2 g
    • Cholesterol: 41.5 mg

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    I'm Katie, the food blogger, recipe developer, and photographer behind Sugar & Snap Peas. I mostly share high-protein dinner recipes for busy families. These easy dinner ideas take the guesswork out of mealtime so that you can get back to family time, knowing dinner is taken care of!

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