How to make mashed potatoes

The most versatile, comfort and loved side dish. It may seem what could be easier? But I guess, everybody, at least once in his life, had made gluey or lumpy mash, or so rubbery that it doesn’t fall off the spoon, no matter how You shake it?

All of this can be avoided by knowing certain rules:
1) Potatoes: It’s best to take potatoes with a high starch content (crumbly).
2) Dicing: try to have more or less the same sized dice of potatoes, so they will be cooked uniformly and simultaneously. Make small dice, so the outer would not absorb too much water until the center is cooked.
3) Cooked potatoes should be well dried before you mash them.
4) Cream or milk, You add, have to be hot. If you want to have more lean puree, substitute part of milk or cream with part of potato cooking water, or You may add hot stock.

5)The spices (black pepper and nutmeg) are better added to the cream or milk before heating, and not directly into the potatoes. Since essential oils of spices will be more flavourful if they are heated in a fat containing substance.

6) Mashing and beating: the best way it’s to press potatoes through potato ricer (looks like a large garlic press) and lightly beat with a wooden spoon after adding the liquid. If You do not have a ricer, then use Your usual potato masher, and mash vigorously and thoroughly for 2-3 minutes. It’s not recommended to use an electric whisk for beating mashed potatoes, too much risk to overdo it and make a sticky mash. And of course do not use a blender, you'd break starch molecules and puree will be very gluey.

So here is a basic recipe:
Serves 4-5:
1 kg potatoes
1 bay leaf
1.5 tsp salt
40 grams butter
125 ml cream 20%
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg

1) Wash potatoes, peel and again rinse well under cold running water. Dice into same size small cubes. Place into a 3 l pot and fill cold water, add salt and bay leaf. Cook over medium heat until tender.

2) 2 minutes before the potatoes are done, bring cream with butter and spices to a boil.
3) Drain potatoes well and dry, shaking the hot pot. You can even put the pot back on heat for half a minute.
4) If you have a potato ricer, then use it - if not, then use usual potato masher. Mash thoroughly and vigorously, from time to time scraping potatoes from the walls and bottom.

5) Now add the hot cream with spices and using a wooden spoon (if not, then usual spoon) stir the potatoes vigorously and beat lightly until the mixture becomes fluffy and tender.

Serve immediately! Potatoes become tougher every minute!