Red Skin Mashed Potatoes with Cream Cheese

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!

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. 

Ingredients

• 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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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