Easy Rustic Mashed Potatoes for Two is as quick and easy as it sounds and just as delicious too! These one-pan creamy, baby red potatoes are cooked on the stove, then gently smashed and covered with a flavorful sauce made with tangy cream cheese and bright, colorful fresh chives.
Talk about easy; you can have this tasty side dish on the table in less than 15 minutes. And, because you leave the nutritious peel on and cook the potatoes whole, you don’t have to peel or cut them up. While the potatoes are cooking it only takes a few minutes to whip together the sauce, which is simply butter, cream cheese, and chives. How easy is that?
I served Easy Rustic Mashed Potatoes for Two with Easy Pan Seared Salmon with Asparagus, but it would pair equally well with Baked Grouper with Tomatoes and Artichokes or Chicken with Mushrooms and Herbs or even my Easy Southern Style Blue Crab Cakes. If you need more ideas for entrees, visit my Recipe Index for a list of all of my easy main dish recipes.
Serving more than two people? Simply double or triple the recipe.
There are only five ingredients for these Easy Rustic Mashed Potatoes: small red potatoes (you can substitute any other small potatoes, but try to keep them roughly the same size, so they will cook evenly), cream cheese, butter, fresh chives, kosher salt and ground black pepper.
How to make Easy Rustic Mashed Potatoes for Two
When you are ready to prepare Easy Rustic Mashed Potatoes for Two, gather your ingredients.
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by at least an inch. Add 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the potatoes are boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes. How long it takes the potatoes to cook depends on the size of the potato. The potatoes are done when they are tender and you can easily stick a fork in them.
When the potatoes are done, remove from the heat and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Pour the potatoes into a colander to drain them. Put them back in the pan and let them sit for a few minutes to let the steam escape.
While the potatoes are cooking combine the softened cream cheese and butter in a small bowl. Add 2 Tbsp of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper and the chives and mix well to combine.
Use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to gently smash the potatoes just until the skin breaks. Do not mash.
Add the cream cheese mixture and combine, being careful not to break up the chunks of potatoes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water and stir to combine.
Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed, and serve immediately.
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Easy Rustic Mashed Potatoes for Two
Ingredients
- 12 ounces small red potatoes unpeeled (about 12 small 1-2 inch potatoes)*
- 3 Tbsp cream cheese softened
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp fresh chives minced
- 1-1/4 tsp kosher salt divided
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by at least an inch. Add 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When the potatoes are boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for about 10-15 minutes. How long it takes the potatoes to cook depends on the size of the potato. The potatoes are done when they are tender and you can easily stick a fork in them.
- When the potatoes are done, remove from the heat and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Pour the potatoes into a colander to drain them. Put them back in the pan and let them sit for a few minutes to let the steam escape.
- While the potatoes are cooking combine the softened cream cheese and butter in a small bowl. Add 2 Tbsp of the reserved cooking water, 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper and the chives and mix well to combine.
- Use the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher to gently smash the potatoes just until the skin breaks. Do not mash.
- Add the cream cheese mixture and combine being careful not to break up the chunks of potato. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water and stir to combine.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed, and serve immediately.
Leslie says
July 27, 2017 at 9:10 pmI can not express how much i love potatoes! I is absolutely unhealthy but i love them as crispy chips, french fri’s, gnocchi noodles oh i just love them. Yum, this looks tasty & it’s making me hungry.
Gritsandpinecones says
July 28, 2017 at 7:49 amHi Leslie, thanks so much for leaving a comment. I am with you, I love potatoes prepared anyway, and I could eat them every day! This is a really quick and easy recipe too which makes it even better. Let me know what you think if you try it out!