Sage Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
The holidays are not complete without a bowl of Sage Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes. These mashed potatoes are silky smooth, buttery, and filled with nutty and fragrant sage brown butter. Perfect recipe for Thanksgiving, the holidays, and every day in between.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- Brown butter literally makes everything better. Everything from these Brown Butter Cranberry Pecan Cookies to this Brown Butter Vanilla Syrup and Brown Butter Matcha Latte. Brown butter is made by heating butter on the stove until the water and milk solids are browned and the butter is a lovely golden brown color. It’s nutty and warm and sooo flavorful.
- Sage and brown butter. Velvety fresh sage leaves are cooked with the brown butter to make it extra fragrant and delicious. It’s quick to make and elevates this simple side dish.
- If you ever need the best Thanksgiving mashed potatoes recipe, this is it. Sage butter mashed potatoes are the ultimate side dish served alongside Grandpa’s Southern Cornbread Dressing, this Oven Roasted Whole Duck Recipe, or The Ultimate Slow-Roasted Brisket in the Oven.
Recipe Ingredients
Potatoes – Russet potatoes are my favorite to use to make mashed potatoes, because Yukon golds can have a slightly sweet taste. Russets are very starchy and make the best mashed potatoes.
Sage brown butter – This is made by browning a stick of butter on the stove with fresh sage leaves. It takes about 10 minutes to make, and it’s nutty, fragrant, and warming.
Heavy cream – The perfect addition to these ultra luxurious brown butter mashed potatoes.
How to Make Mashed Potatoes with Sage Brown Butter
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Boil potatoes
Peel and cut potatoes into large, even chunks. Rinse the starch off the potatoes, then transfer them to a large pot filled with cold water. Boil on medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender(I like to boil my potatoes a bit longer than fork-tender to make sure they are soft enough to mash). Drain, then set aside covered.
Make sage brown butter
In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the butter starts to bubble up and get foamy, add the sage leaves. Stir or swirl the pot so the sage leaves don’t burn, and they start to crisp up. Once the butter has reached a nice brown color, remove it from the heat. Then, use a fine-mesh strainer to strain out the sage leaves (save for serving) and the browned bits. Set aside.
Make mashed potatoes
In a large bowl, press cooked potatoes through a potato ricer or use a potato masher. Add minced garlic, then stir in half of the sage brown butter and heavy whipping cream. Stir until combined, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Looking For More Recipes?
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes
- Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Heavy Cream
- Air Fryer Baked Sweet Potatoes with Whipped Cinnamon Butter
- Garlic Rosemary Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Lemon Za’atar Roasted Potatoes
- Crispy Breakfast Potatoes
- Cajun Cornish Hen
If you tried and loved this Sage Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes recipe, please leave a rating a star ⭐ rating!
If you love this recipe, leave a review and a ⭐️ 5-star rating or 📌 save it to Pinterest for later. Subscribe to The Midwest Kitchen Blog’s Newsletter for more recipes like this delivered straight to your inbox! Visit our sister site for more delicious recipes at Matcha and Kale.
Sage Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Small sauce pot
- Potato ricer for ultrasmooth mashed potatoes or potato masher
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes
- 2 lbs russet potatoes about 5 medium potatoes
- 1 – 2 large garlic cloves finely minced
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sage brown butter
- ½ cup butter unsalted
- 10 Fresh sage leaves
Instructions
Boil potatoes
- Peel and cut potatoes into large, even chunks. Rinse them the get the starch off, then transfer to a large pot filled with cold water. Boil on medium heat for 15 – 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender. (I like to boil my potatoes a little bit past fork tender just to make sure they are perfectly soft enough to mash). Drain, then set aside covered.2 lbs russet potatoes
Make sage brown butter
- In a small saucepan, heat butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the butter starts to bubble up and get foamy, add the sage leaves. Stir or swirl the pot so the sage leaves don’t burn, and they start to crisp up. Once the butter is a nice brown color, remove it from the heat, then use a fine mesh strainer to strain out the sage leaves and the browned bits. Set aside. Yields: 1/3 cup of sage brown butter½ cup butter, 10 Fresh sage leaves
Make mashed potatoes
- In a large bowl, press cooked potatoes through a potato ricer or use a potato masher. Add minced garlic, then stir in half of the sage brown butter (reserve the rest for serving or another recipe) and heavy whipping cream. Stir until combined, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.1 – 2 large garlic cloves, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Brown butter: Once the butter starts to foam up, it can burn very quickly. Keep an eye on it and remove from the heat as soon as it starts to look golden brown. It will continue to cook as it sits in the pot.
- For ultra-smooth mashed potatoes, press boiled potatoes through a potato ricer or fine-mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl, then combine with the other ingredients.
- If you don’t want raw garlic in your mashed potatoes, lightly cook it in sage butter or use roasted garlic.
