How to make mashed potatoes and gravy the right way

The turkey is perfect. You've prepared the best stuffing ever. No one can touch your pumpkin pie.

Why isn't anyone complimenting the mashed potatoes and gravy? Probably because you've glued their mouths shut.

In the rush to get everything on the holiday dinner table at the same time, nothing suffers like mashed potatoes and gravy.

These tips are the key to getting the most classic side dishes right every time..

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Mashed potatoes

Use the right potatoes

Save the fingerlings, Yukon Golds and red potatoes for another day. They lack the starch content necessary to produce fluffy mashed potatoes. "The best potato hands down is a plain old Idaho or russet potato," said chef Steven D. Keneipp, an instructor at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Indianapolis. "If you choose the wrong potato it's going to end up mealy" and/or compact, Keneipp said.

Cut the potatoes correctly

Potatoes cut into pieces that are too small become waterlogged and lose their starch during simmering. You risk undercooked potatoes if the pieces are too big. And a mix of small and large pieces causes both disasters. Never boil whole potatoes. Keneipp suggested about 2- to 3-inch chunks.

Don't add cold milk and butter

Cold additions chill hot potatoes and make them gummy during mashing. Warm whole or skim milk and butter together in a separate saucepan before adding them to the potatoes, which should be mashed in same pot they were cooked in, Keneippe said. How much milk and butter? About ½ to ¾ cup of milk and about 4 tablespoons of butter to every 6 medium potatoes. That formula will serve about four people.

Keep it classic

Roasted-garlic mashed potatoes go with bold steaks but not subtle turkey and gravy, Keneippe said. Garlic overwhelms a potato's flavor and many other flavors on the Thanksgiving plate. "I don't have any problem with garlic cloves, but people get weird with potatoes," he said. "They start with garlic cloves and then the next thing you know they want to put in goat cheese and lavender flowers."

Don't overmix

"That's really the worst," Keneippe said. Too much mashing or mixing breaks the potatoes starch cells, turning mashed potatoes into thick paste. An electric mixer may seem like a time saver, but "you can destroy potatoes very quickly in a mixer," Keneippe said. He advised using a hand masher or ricer.

Gravy

Don't skimp on stock

Not enough liquid causes stiff gravy, said chef Luke Trinosky, an instructor at The Chefs Academy. You may need to add water or stock to the pan while the turkey is roasting. "The bird is not going to give enough liquid by itself," Trinosky said. Have a stock reserve available in case the turkey drippings do not supply an adequate amount of broth. About 4 cups of liquid is required to prepare enough gravy for a crowd. To make a quick stock, simmer the turkey's giblets and neck with a little bit of onion, celery and carrots.

Watch the fat 

Leave too much fat in the pan drippings and goopy gravy will gloss your lips. Pour the drippings into a wide, glass measuring cup and let the drippings stand until their fat floats to the top. Spoon off almost all the fat, being careful not to take too much stock along with it, Trinosky said.

Easy with the flour

Sprinkling or whisking flour directly into turkey drippings and stock causes lumps, Trinosky said. Instead, create a roux. In the pan in which you plan to make gravy, whisk together about 1/3cup of all-purpose flour and about ¼ cup of fat, either butter or fat skimmed from the turkey drippings. Stir the mixture over medium high heat for a few minutes and then gradually whisk in about 4 cups of hot stock, Trinosky said.

Don't be afraid to crank up the heat

To get the full thickening effect of the flour's starch, the stock must be heated before it goes into the roux and then the gravy must come to a simmer, Trinosky said. Start with medium high heat.

Have a back-up plan

Adding water or stock to turkey drippings may dull the drippings' flavor. Usually, a little salt fixes the problem, but having a jarred stock base on hand is a good back up, Trinosky said. Find the bases in supermarkets and specialty stores.

Call Liz Biro at (317) 444-6264. Follow her on Twitter @lizbiro, Instagram @lizbirodish and Facebook. Email her at elizabeth.biro@indystar.com.