Martha Stewart vs. Joanna Gaines: Who Has the Best Mashed Potatoes Recipe?

Stewart’s mashed potato recipe calls for steaming—not boiling—Yukon Gold potatoes for about 45 minutes until they’re soft, then rubbing the peels off and cutting the potatoes. Gaines recommends a more conventional route for her mashed potato recipe by partially peeling russet potatoes (she keeps some of the skin for texture), then boiling them.

I found Gaines’s method to be much easier. While I loved not having to wait for a hulking pot of water to boil to soften the spuds for Martha’s recipe, I wasn’t able to rub the skin off once they were cool enough to handle, and I had to peel them anyway. They were also difficult to mash later on because they weren’t as thoroughly softened.

Ever the gourmand, Stewart calls for cutting the potatoes after skinning them, then passing them through a food mill or ricer. You’ll mash them with a masher (or with an electric mixer, in case you want even more fancy equipment to wash after dinner) later, but the ricer makes them smoother and creamier. I don’t own one, so I tried to push the potatoes through a mesh sieve instead. When I found that to be basically impossible (and searched for a cheese grater to no avail), I used the steamer basket I cooked them in. After two potatoes, I gave up and cut them. Sue me!

Gaines, on the other hand, simply calls for mashing them with a potato masher. Between the masher and leaving some of the skin on, it seems she prioritizes a bit of texture, while Stewart is aiming for an unbelievably luscious, silky final product. I respect both, but the lazy cook in me is partial to Gaines’s method.

Stewart’s are more ornately seasoned, being that they get salt, pepper, unsalted butter, heavy cream, whole milk and cream cheese. The cream and milk both need to be warmed, and the butter and cream cheese need to be room temp, so her recipe takes some extra elbow grease, time and forethought. I also realized that the potatoes could have been softer, given that I didn’t grate most of them, so I covered them and all the mix-ins with a steamy pot lid until they gave way under the masher.

Gaines’s only get milk, salt, pepper and salted butter—two whole sticks of it, in fact. I appreciate that the butter is melted in a saucepan, so you don’t have to wait for it to soften before cooking. That said, I wondered if they’d turn out too salty or not as flavorful as Martha’s, since hers has tangy cream cheese and prevents oversalting by using unsalted butter.

Gaines’s recipe is a zillion times easier, faster and more beginner friendly. You don’t need special equipment (or even unexpected ingredients) to go from zero to mash, and the method is as frill-free as possible. Martha’s may look prettier—darn you, Yukon Gold potatoes—and have tangy nuance, courtesy of cream cheese, but they don’t taste so much better that I’d tell you to add a ricer to your holiday wish list.  

Speaking of taste, Gaines’s mashed potato recipe is very fluffy, rustic and buttery. There are no distractions to keep the potato from shining. Stewart’s potatoes were very rich, just acidic enough and super indulgent. They feel and look a little fancier, but TBH, I want mashed potatoes, like, today, and I don’t need to feel like a trad wife while preparing them to enjoy them. Sorry not sorry, Martha!