Brown Butter Miso Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes with brown butter, sweet white miso and warm cream.
- Original yieldYield
- 4 to 6 servings4 to 6 servings
- PrepPrep time
- CookCook time
- TotalTotal time
Published Updated
Original recipe: 4 to 6 servings
The story behind the recipe
The golden specks in brown butter are worth keeping. Stirred through potatoes with white miso and warm cream, they bring a toasted, nutty flavor that survives in the finished mash. Miso adds a salty, fermented savor beneath it, making a familiar side dish substantial enough to notice even without gravy.
A Japanese seasoning in the potato pot
Miso is fermented soybean paste, made with salt and a culture called koji; many varieties also use rice or barley. Namiko Hirasawa Chen's miso guide describes the range from sweet, mild white miso to darker, stronger styles. The sweet white miso specified here suits potatoes and cream because its gentler character leaves room for both.
Sweet doesn't mean unsalted. Miso contributes seasoning as well as flavor, so the finishing salt is deliberately added to taste. That matters especially if the mash will sit beside a salty roast sauce or another strongly seasoned dish. Taste the potatoes with the butter mixture in them before deciding what they need.
White miso comes in tubs or jars at Japanese and Asian groceries and many supermarkets. Choose a paste, not a sachet of instant miso soup. The latter already includes other seasonings and isn't the ingredient measured for this bowl.
Read more about this recipe
Brown butter in the mash
Brown butter gets its flavor as the milk solids color. Those small flecks are the part you want to carry into the mash, along with the liquid butter. Keep watching as the foam settles: golden brown and fragrant is the aim, while very dark solids bring bitterness.
Miso supplies a different depth, with its fermented flavor spreading through the butter before it reaches the potatoes. That early mixing prevents isolated salty lumps. The cream then gives the mash enough richness to carry both flavors without feeling dry.
Potato choice still decides much of the texture. Russets give a lighter, fluffier mash; Yukon Golds make a denser, yellow one with a naturally buttery impression. Both are options here. Whichever you use, cook them fully tender and allow the drained pieces to lose surface moisture before mashing. Added cream belongs in the bowl; leftover boiling water doesn't.
The chives need no time in the hot butter. Their fresh onion flavor is most noticeable scattered over the finished potatoes, where a little green breaks up an otherwise pale bowl. Serve it beside something with texture: a crisp surface, a roasted edge or a crunchy vegetable gives the soft mash a good companion.
Make it your wayOriginal: 6 servings · Makes 4 to 6 servings
Original recipe: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
For 4 to 6 servings. Quantities are shown as written.
Source measurement convention: Metric. Explicit unit definitions take precedence; unconfirmed measures must be checked before conversion.
Original quantities for 4 to 6 servings.
- Floury potatoes (such as Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks900 g
- Unsalted butter60 g
- Sweet white miso paste (shiro miso)30 gAuthor measures: 2 metric tbsp (1 metric tbsp = 15 ml).
- Heavy whipping cream120 ml
- Kosher salt (for potatoes, plus extra for boiling water)5 gAuthor measures: 1 metric tsp (1 metric tsp = 5 ml).
- Fresh chives, finely minced (for garnish)10 g
Measurement notes
Measurement notes
Original ingredients
- 900 g floury potatoes (such as Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 30 g (2 tbsp) sweet white miso paste (shiro miso)
- 120 ml heavy whipping cream
- 5 g (1 tsp) kosher salt (for potatoes, plus extra for boiling water)
- 10 g fresh chives, finely minced (for garnish)
Equipment
4-liter saucepan or Dutch oven
Small skillet (for browning butter)
Potato masher or potato ricer
Whisk
Instructions
Boil the potatoes
Place the peeled and cut floury potatoes in a large 4-liter saucepan. Cover with cold water by at least 3 cm and add kosher salt from the extra boiling-water allowance. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are completely fork-tender.
Drain and dry the potatoes
Drain the potatoes thoroughly in a colander. Return the drained potatoes to the empty hot pot and let them sit over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, shaking the pot occasionally, to cook off any remaining moisture.
Warm the cream and brown the butter
While the potatoes simmer, gently warm the measured heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan or suitable microwave-safe jug and brown the butter. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the unsalted butter. Swirl the pan continuously for 3 to 4 minutes as the butter foams, sizzles, and subsides, until golden brown specks appear on the bottom and it releases a nutty aroma.
Whisk miso into the brown butter
Remove the skillet from the heat immediately. Add the sweet white miso paste directly to the hot brown butter and whisk vigorously until smooth and emulsified.
Mash and season the potatoes
Mash or rice the hot potatoes. Stir in the warm cream and brown-butter miso mixture, then add the measured salt gradually to taste; you may not need all of it, depending on your miso.
Finish with chives and serve
Stir with a sturdy spoon or silicone spatula until fluffy, creamy, and thoroughly combined. Transfer to a warm serving bowl, scatter with the finely minced fresh chives, and serve hot.
Estimated calories 280 kcal
Nutrition portion: 1/6 of recipe · Original yield: 4 to 6 servings
Source & assumptions
Ingredient-based estimate using CoFID 2021, identified manufacturer information. Approximately 280 kcal per nutrition portion. Standard nutrition portion: one-sixth of the batch, the smaller portion within the original 4-to-6 serving range. Uses sweet white miso and includes all butter and cream. Ingredients, brands and preparation affect values.
Recipe notes
Original recipe notes
These notes describe the original recipe. Quantities mentioned here do not change when you adjust servings.
Miso selection: Sweet white miso is the chosen starting point. Miso styles vary in sweetness and saltiness; another type will change the flavor, so taste and adjust the finishing salt.
Potato type: Yukon Golds yield a naturally buttery, yellow mash with velvety texture; Russets produce a lighter, fluffier mash. You can also use a 50/50 mix.
Make-ahead and reheating: Refrigerate promptly in a shallow covered container at 4°C (40°F) or below and use within 3 to 4 days. Reheat with a little extra cream, stirring until hot throughout and reaching 74°C (165°F).
Read the scaling guide. Times, temperatures and equipment need their own consideration. Open the recipe tool to review and correct individual amounts.
Recipe details
- Cuisine
- Other / International
- Browse category
- Main Dishes
- More details
- miso mashed potatoesbrown butter